Profile of a Volunteer

The volunteer that I wish to profile is Mr. Terry White.

For as long as I have known Mr. White, and that has been almost a lifetime, he has been willing to give his time to others to educate them on the ways of our ancestors.  Mr. Terry White is a knowledgeable member of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina and has spent many years educating children and adults alike on ceremonial traditions and how to prepare instruments and regalia in the traditional way.

In our community, the traditional way of living is become a distant memory to many.  With dedicated members like Terry White, adults and young people alike are able to understand the traditional ways of our ancestors and now have the opportunity to participate in traditional social events such as Pow Wows and even in spiritual traditions such as the Sweat Lodge.

His volunteer efforts began long ago, in my opinion, as a teen ager. He was willing to take anyone under his wing and introduce them to the tradition on drumming and singing.  He would also give his time to assist anyone that wanted to learn to bead, build a drum or make a flute.  If Terry could not help you, he was sure to find someone that could.  In adult life, Terry continued to volunteer his time in community drum groups and maintained his knowledge sharing with anyone willing to learn.  Over the last few years, many culture classes have been arranged around our county to help teach our children the traditional ways of their ancestors.  Mr. Terry White has continued to volunteer his time to teach and lead the younger generation and even volunteers to chaperone the youth to events across the nation to introduce them to tribal traditions of our neighboring tribes.

Mr. White’s work impacts the lives of others because he is a positive role model for our young Native Youth.  Mr. Terry demonstrates patience and understanding when working with the youth that is admirable.  He is humble and eager to offer assistance to anyone he can help.  Because of the work and time he gives to our communities, the traditions of our ancestors are alive once again.  Our children are beginning to connect with their ancestors and can see how we are responsible to one another as well as our Mother Earth for our actions.

I believe that as we live in the 21^st Century it is important that we remember where we come from as a people.  All cultures have a past, present and future, however if we do not understand the past, it is hard for us to adapt to the present and our futures seem to be a mystery.  When we have pride in our heritage and can participate in cultural events with others that are identical to ourselves we can find an inner strength and a desire to make our people proud by being the best person that we can be.  Mr. Terry White has made it possible for many people to reconnect with their heritage.  But not only does he spread traditional values and procedures, he takes the time to listen to our youth and to guide them to positive paths and provide them with the support they need to achieve their dreams.  He is truly worthy of recognition.

As I reflect on my goal to be an advocate in the early childhood field, I see Mr. Terry as a role model because he gives of his time and knowledge without seeking any recognition for his efforts.  I believe this is the true spirit of an advocate, to be passionate about an issue, to give of yourself and your time without expecting recognition in return.  The only objective that you have is to help children and families achieve their dreams and to be as successful as they can be.