Caitlin McDiarmid
APP Administrator

“I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy.” — Rabindranath Tagore

One of the greatest gifts given to me over the last 13 years has been the gift of mentoring. There’s something about having a grown man or woman, someone who isn’t your own child or student, tell you that you were instrumental in them learning, growing, changing, or reaching a new goal. I wasn’t good at it when I started with the APP. I was more than bad at it. But I continued just the same, tried to learn from my own mentor, Paul King; and tried to work on myself. I’m still not perfect, but the work and success of the volunteers continues to reflect my efforts back to me.

In 2007, at an emotionally laden Banquet Dinner, I talked about the transformative power of service. Back then I didn’t write down my speeches in advance so those exact words are lost. I know I spoke too long – we all did that year. But I wanted to try and get across to the audience – to our Attendees – the joys of service. The APP after all relies on volunteers from the top down.

Our Board Members are volunteers; our committee members are volunteers; our conference workers are volunteers (some minimally compensated). There are few of us who are compensated for certain jobs, but generally go far above the call of duty and are still volunteers for the Association.

From approximately 20 conference volunteers in 2003 (that includes the Board who worked the merch booth and classroom doors that year) to approximately 70 in 2015. As the Conference has grown our team dynamic has developed. As the fun we all were having showed our volunteer group has expanded.

The community of conference volunteers have become more than friends; they have become a family. Through service and working alongside each other we have formed bonds, which means that we send each other letters (real letters!) and cookies in the mail. We reach out to each other when we are going through rough times or experiencing great joys. We share opportunities in the industry – who’s hiring/who’s not. We celebrate when another volunteer becomes a Member and when a new volunteer joins the group. Through service to the organization and the Conference I’ve watched these young women and men grow up, mature, have relationships, change relationships, get jobs, travel, open shops, serve as committee members, and even as Board Members.

Many of the conference volunteers also serve in other capacities for the Association and the event. They often volunteer in their communities as well. Service brings a joy to life that I don’t think can be found elsewhere. This year I am encouraging the most experienced volunteers to start mentoring the newer volunteers. They have earned their place in this process. It is the next step of service work.

I watch every year as a group of volunteers, all decidedly different from one another, interact and work together on a variety of tasks and come out the other side friends and colleagues. It’s a magical process and by the end we are all in tears saying our goodbyes. I’ve watched people from a variety of religious backgrounds, genders, sexual orientations, economic levels, cultures, piercing skill level, anxiety levels, social abilities, and ages – all let things which could have caused barriers become bridges.

I have never had a volunteer walk away from the experience unchanged. Service is transformative. Attending the Conference is transformative. Combine the two and it’s amazing.

We shouldn’t get to have all the fun. While our team has grown over the years, we are always looking for new volunteers. If you can’t volunteer during Conference, think about doing so in your community; whether as a piercer educating students in schools about safe piercing or as a food shelf worker. Do something, get involved for the greater good. Absolutely positively – everyone can make a difference.