There’s a little engine that could that keeps this Island chugging merrily along: volunteers.

They are at the food bank, the library, on sports fields, in churches, in our schools, on our stages — the thread that holds together the patchwork of communities that make up our Island. You can probably think of several that are enhancing your life in some way at this very moment. When was the last time you thanked them for sharing their time and talents?

Here’s what I’ve observed about volunteers. They seem to have a lot on their plate (they do). They make their job look effortless (it isn’t). They seem to love what they do (not always). They know what they are doing (most are not “professionals” at their given task, just willing to take on a job that needs to be done). They don’t complain about their workload (more hours than you can imagine beyond what you see). They are self-driven (they are human, kind words lift them up).

It seems that the more volunteers are charged to accomplish and the higher their profiles, the more criticism they draw. I have a friend who would probably call herself a chronic volunteer. Chronic because she has experienced time and time again the dark side of putting yourself out there as a volunteer: complaints, demands or, in rare cases, an appalling disregard for the fact that a volunteer is doing just that: volunteering countless hours free of charge. I have no statistics to back it up, but would guess that those who are the most critical of volunteers have never been one.

The volunteer pool on Vashon seems to be getting smaller. My guess is that this is in large part due to the economy. More families on Vashon have two income earners leaving less “spare” time to take on the responsibility of a volunteer position.

Which brings me to the unsung heroes of the volunteer minion: You can bet that the family members of a volunteer are making sacrifices so the volunteer can do his or her job. The Vashon Bounty Club has this figured out, making certain to thank the wives of Vashon High School’s football program at the end of the season with bouquets of flowers and a standing ovation.

As nature would have it, most of these folks who are volunteering like crazy would be the first to say that they don’t want praise, flowers or standing ovations. Go ahead and do it anyway. They would also share that the experience of knowing they have made a difference makes volunteering a priceless endeavor.

Next time you want to complain about the job a volunteer is doing, I ask that you take a deep breath and think hard before you shoot off a harsh word or email. Better yet, the next the time you think volunteers in your life did something great, tell them.

Gratitude is so much more powerful than criticism.

— Mary Kay Rauma, a mother of two, is an active Island volunteer.