Angel Fire Volunteer Alliance

By Jo Mixon

We, at the Chamber, are getting geared up and excited about all of the upcoming new and continuing events that are scheduled in Angel Fire during 2015. Each of these events will bring visitors to our village. Because of the broad variety of events, many of these visitors will be first time guests. This promises to bring an economic boost to many of our businesses. And this puts smiles on our faces, plus we love being able to share Angel Fire with everyone!

That being said, it has come to the attention of the village and the chamber, all of these events are made possible by volunteers. Volunteers are the very backbone! Mayor Cottam and I brainstormed and came up with the idea to unify all events with a data base of volunteers. Thus the Angel Fire Volunteer Alliance is being formed. We are looking into software that will make this possible. An event manager will be able to enter their event, how many volunteers are needed, list each volunteer job available and the specific skills needed in that position and when they are needed. Volunteers are usually needed far in advance of an event, as well as during the event. Event organizers will be able to send out a call for more volunteers if and when they need help.

Organizations will also be able to tag their events. For example, if the event is only open to Rotary members, the Rotary Club will be able to specify on the page. The same thing is possible if the event is open to all volunteers. Permanent residents and part time residents of Angel Fire will be able to access this database. We’ve been told by many part time residents they would really like to get more involved in the community, but they don’t know how. This will give everyone access and keep everyone up to date on what is happening. A volunteer can easily look up what opportunities are available during the time they will be in Angel Fire and where their particular skill sets are needed.

Hopefully this newly forming Angel Fire Volunteer Alliance database will be up and running within the next few weeks. At that time we will hold a village wide meeting to further explain the process. We will be looking for someone to volunteer to administer the page and organize the data base with the event holders as well as volunteers. And we intend to recognize volunteers! April is National Volunteer month, so next April 2016, once we have been working together for a year, we will have our first annual Angel Fire Volunteer Alliance Appreciation Banquet.

As a volunteer I can personally say I usually get more out of volunteering than I give! We would like to invite everyone to participate. Businesses, individuals, clubs, associations, part time residents, full time residents, committees, students, etc. etc.

Let’s all lend a helping hand and work together to make 2015 a prosperous and fun event filled year for Angel Fire. And I thank you in advance!

Here are some volunteers volunteering for some past events.

Thank you!