My Time With CMA
by Lightning
When I Volunteered...
I first joined CMA in 1998 and Samhain ’98 was my first festival. It was an amazing experience for me and I had the desire to dive in and help from day one. But I decided to spend some time getting to know CMA before I jumped in. In time, I served as a Solitary Society Co-Coordinator, had a brief stint as an Outlands Rep (ended up moving back to Austin), and spent time on the web staff back when CMA ran discussion lists and it was my job to help moderate them all. After a while, I moved to San Francisco and took a CMA volunteering break. Eventually, I moved back to Texas, and last year I found myself on the web staff again. Over the years, I’ve done a little bit of everything…from guardian duty to hug patrol. And I’d do it all again.
Why do I volunteer?
To give back to an organization from which I have received so much. I’ve learned and grown, my spirituality has evolved, and I've met some wonderful people …all at CMA. Volunteering in any organization can be rough. Sure, for some positions there can be a hectic schedule, occasional drama, confused members, and a plethora of other issues. But like anything, sometimes it’s what you make of it. For me, I’ve found it to be rewarding.
CMA Changes
I’ve seen CMA change a lot and I’ve only been here for around 8 years now. I was there at Recreation Plantation when we could only allow limited numbers at an event. I couldn’t register for Beltaine ’98 even though I was a member because it was already packed. Now here’s CMA with all this land and we’ve got plenty of room! And wow, how the land has changed!
I was there at some of the earliest work weekends when we first purchased Spirit Haven. That Memorial Day work weekend not long after we bought the land was amazing. By afternoon all we could do was sit and stare at each other under an awning in over 105 degree heat. But I have so many fond memories of that day where I met new people, and later in the day we took turns splashing in water hoses trying to entertain ourselves until the weather cooled. Work weekends are hard work but so rewarding and fun! Unfortunately, I had to step away from them due to back problems.
I’ve seen us go from around 15 or so email discussion lists to a small number of individually managed lists. I’ve seen the Accord in full bloom in color print and then later as an e-zine. We went from having around 50 people running an event to a full complement of volunteers at each event doing their community service shift. And now I have to wonder where CMA will be in another 8 years.
So You Want To Volunteer?
I know some people want to volunteer but may feel intimidated. Just remember: everyone that’s an officer or staff member is there because they raised their hand and said “I’ll help”.
My best advice to anyone wanting to volunteer is: get to know CMA and then just do it. After that, spend time listening to those that have been there a while. Offer to help where you can. If you have a significant other and want to work in a position that can be very time intensive, make sure you talk over the impact that the work could have on your schedules and have a support system in place. Take non-CMA days and be good to yourself; don’t overwork yourself to the point of burn-out.
So you want to help and don’t know what to do?
Call or email a Rep! They are your #1 source of information and your first point of contact. As it stands, we always need more fundraisers, work weekend crew, and Accord submissions. If you are thinking about being on the Board some day, then pitch in where you can and also become a Rep. There are a lot of great places to get your feet wet.
CMA volunteers are just a bunch of people that said, “sure, I’ll help”. And we do it because we saw a need to fill and want to give back to the community. CMA needs it’s volunteers and we need you too. Even those community service positions you fill each event are valuable and necessary. Thank you all for the work you do!