Before A Fall

I'm not good at volunteering. I should do more, because I am fairly lucky to have a decent situation in life, and I think it's therefore incumbent on me to help out. With this basic premise in mind, I thought that I would take a step forward and volunteer to be a "Pride Captain" for the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, an organization that I've supported financially, and whose mission I agree with.

I contacted SLDN back in July to set this up. I didn't hear back immediately (in fact it took a couple weeks), but then it seemed like things were all set up. They would take care of things with the local Pride organization, and "send [me] information on the booth as [they] receive it from the event organizers." Sadly, I've heard nothing at all from anybody, and it's four days before the festival. I am also supposed to be expecting a shipment of materials "in the week before the event"; I suppose could still happen.

BUT .... yesterday I emailed the person at SLDN who had first contacted me and asked "what's up?" Very early this morning I used the "contact us" link on the GPV site to ask "what's up?" At this time, I can count the responses on no hands at all.

I should note that I had also used that GPV site link several months ago to send in a suggestion that they invite singer-songwriter Aiden James to perform, and got no response at all. For various additional reasons not documented here, it is very hard for me not to view this as yet another symptom of the Richmond closed circle gay society, but I'm trying not to go there.

I suppose that I should have followed up on this before this week, but see above about "not good at volunteering." Why wouldn't I expect people to follow-up on their side? I don't even know what has happened. Did SLDN not actually apply for the booth? Did GPVA turn them down? Am I worrying for no reason?

For now I guess I just sit and wait, my Saturday plans held hostage by the idea of wanting to do something good, and me not quite ready to give up. Maybe in the future I'll volunteer with my friend on the animal adoption thing. At least the puppies and kittens lick your face.