In the past few weeks, we've seen several examples of people reaching out to others.

One group lent a helping hand to make Habitat for Humanity building projects move along more smoothly in Rapid City. The group didn't just come together by chance; they'd been volunteering their time and talents together for the past six years.

Sportsmen Against Hunger held an annual campaign encouraging hunters to clean out their freezers and donate the meat to charity rather than disposing of it. More than 100 members of Black Hills Sportsmen helped out with the drive during the day. At the three local drop-off sites, they expected to collect up to 2 tons of food.

And another show of helping hands came in the form of an annual fund raising event. About 50 people showed up to participate in the second annual HIV/AIDS walk. That walk is a show of support for programs and individuals dealing with the crisis of AIDS.

Another group - the Black Hills Literacy Council - offers volunteer tutoring services for immigrants and others who need help meshing with the community through English and reading instruction.

We see examples like this throughout the year. We should always take the time to recognize the volunteers for their efforts and the important work they do.

Volunteer time is critical to the success of many organizations and activities. Volunteering not only makes organizations work, it also makes a community work. A strong volunteer presence is a barometer of a successful community.

Volunteers' time is valuable to a community. Not only do volunteers have the time, and often the specialized knowledge, to get a project done successfully; their time has a monetary value.

It is estimated that a volunteer's time (2007 figures) is worth nearly $20 an hour. That makes sense considering volunteers don't require insurance, taxes etc. Many of the organizations that reach out to the less fortunate simply don't have the resources to provide services if they had to pay full time employees to replace volunteer help.

That's where volunteers come in - providing the help needed to get serious work done.

It is a monetary issue but it goes so much further. People reaching out to others who need a hand make a community a place to live. Reaching out helps create a caring social environment where respect and concern for others is of the utmost concern.

We see volunteers in dozens of organizations around Rapid City. People help out with projects, civic organizations; some people help out by donating to charity or serving on their school's parent teacher association or a city board.

The ways to volunteer time and talent are nearly endless. Let's hope it never ends.