“The event that first inspired me to get more involved in volunteering, locally, was the River Bend Film Festival,” says Rose Goyette. “I was a film major as an undergrad and I’d gone to it a couple of times before. I figured I would volunteer and do some networking to see if it would be possible to get more involved. By the end of that weekend volunteering for River Bend, the volunteer coordinator asked if I would be interested in helping with First Fridays – and I’ve been doing that ever since. Before that, I wasn’t super involved locally, because we moved around a lot, but I’ve found that volunteering in Goshen gives me the space to be myself.
Volunteering is just a part of who I am. I grew up in North Carolina helping out in my community – lending my skills, my time and my energy to support and serve my school, my community and my state. I can’t point to one specific event that made me feel the joy of volunteering, or got me started. Every time I volunteer I feel the intrinsic rewards and the appreciation of other volunteers and organization leaders – and that is encouraging and makes me want to continue.
I will say that, one time, the local veteran organizations where I lived in North Carolina were approached to take part in a statewide veterans memorial project that involved working with hand molds. I’d done some volunteer work with the veterans groups before, and they insisted I ‘lend my hands’ to the project – and I did that, both literally and figuratively. For hours upon hours I sat while molds of my hands were being crafted for the memorial. As the granddaughter of a World War II veteran, that was really special to me. It’s still a special memory – I was so honored and humbled to be included in that, knowing the sacrifices so many made to preserve our freedoms.
In addition to my involvement with First Fridays and River Bend Film Festival, I serve on the board for the Elkhart County League of Women Voters and I’ve served as an elections poll worker for almost every election since 2010. I’m also serving as the 2nd District Chair for Indiana Young Democrats. For me, volunteering is just a way of life. Some people are drawn to athletics or academics. I was always drawn to being a volunteer. I believe that volunteering is important because it enriches your life and expands your perspectives. I’ve worked alongside people whose backgrounds and stories were different – people I might have, otherwise, never met – but in volunteering we all come together to do something worthwhile. That brings me a lot of joy, and it’s just a small part of the impact of volunteering.”
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