What a welcome

I've been treated so well as a volunteer at National Jewish Health, I'm almost beginning to worry whether good feelings need to be reported to the IRS.

I first approached NJH for a selfish reason: a job. But the job I wanted was de-posted for lack of budget, so, as a form of self-marketing, I asked if they could use me for a few hours a week as a volunteer; then presumably when the job reappeared I'd be top-of-mind. They put me to work rewriting the development department's Web site.

All I'd asked for was an opportunity to prove I could be useful; what I got was a sackful of gratitude. They gave me a parking pass; an official hospital ID on a retractable lanyard that I like to play with; credits to use in the cafeteria; and a free TB test and H1N1 shot. (These last two benefits arguably are more enlightened self-interest than sheer generosity, but heck, free is free!)

Now they've invited me to the staff holiday party, a truly gracious gesture of welcome.

Because of the amount of training they (I mean we) require, volunteers are not necessarily a way to save money, and certainly not a way to increase efficiency. But you can't run a genuine community organization without them. Us.

So, to National Jewish, you're welcome, but more than that, thank you.