work would do well to offer a DAY OFF FOR VOLUNTEERING

I am not sure how it works...

there are sick days...
there are personal days...
and of course
there are holidays aka vacation days also known a requisite mental health days

but... is there a civil service day?
how about a basic day off to volunteer day?
and I mean something more than being called in for jury duty... which is definitely a civic duty
but I do not mean something you are called upon to do
rather something that a person selects on their own

people should be granted a day off to give back.. to do something better... a contribution...
to do something for someone other than just themselves
to do something for something more than a pay check
people should have a day off from work to volunteer their time to a cause

that day could connect to a weekend for a three day trip to the Gulf of Mexico to lend assistance to the clean up
tag onto a existing three day weekend and make a four day weekend with one of the causes like Habitat for Humanity or whatever
mountain bikers and hikers could do trail maintenance days on a weekday instead of forfeiting a weekend day
parents could volunteer at their kid's school
there are bicycle coop and bicycle advocacy groups that could always use a spare set of hands
I would be in agreement with something less structured
neighborhood clean up or public park clean up
not your own yard clean up... something more public

people could do basically what every they wanted to do
there have to be a million valid volunteer opportunities
well... other than sleep late and lounge about the house all day
this is a day that is meant to be spent bettering society

more people need to give back
in this world there are those that give back and those that take
the take group is much larger than the give back group
this small group of people that give back are the same people who always give back
it is always the same people

a my kids' school there is a large population
a small fraction of the families in that population volunteer and get involved
not everyone gives back
but everyone is taking
there is a large group of people that take and a small group that gives
that is always the way

more people dump trash than people that offer their time to pick up trash
this ratio would do well to change

if employers offered and advertised that their employees were allowed a day off from work to volunteer their time in one fashion or another
well... we could build not just a better society but better people
some people would do well to experience of doing something for someone other then themselves
the backlash would definitely have that "pay it forward" side effect
giving feels good
giving makes better people
even if the volunteer was tired from hard work they would be regenerated at the level of the soul

just a thought
a thought born from that morning sleepiness and the morning coffee