Volunteers give something that can never be replaced: THEIR TIME.  In my years as a nurse, I appreciated the hours that volunteers gave at the hospital and later when I worked in hospice.  The recent show we did at the Los Angeles Arboretum was possible because volunteers of the Monrovia Rockhounds club.  Dozens of tables, huge eight foot folding tables, needed to be set up for the dozens of dealers that would be exhibiting that weekend.  Myself and another vendor, Eric, assisted the two club members that morning in this task.  The next morning, show day, more tables needed and we volunteered to roll those huge banquet table outside.

It is the “people” connection that we enjoy the most about “vending” at art, craft and gem/mineral shows.  A recent study confirmed that the “happiest” people were those with strong social connections – friends, family, church, clubs, etc.

Many shows are run by promoters trying to make a living and many clubs have shows as fundraisers.  We do both types of shows. While we operate our “hobby” as a business, pay taxes, keep books, compute profit or loss – we also compute the “people” factor.

Jo Anna and the Moroks add the “people” factor that make this a fun show.  I did not expect this printed certificate of appreciation that I received in the mail – but it was nice – thank you, Jo Anna!

This weekend we will be in Laughlin, Nevada. Hope to see you there.