Joshua and Tara Green, who met on a missions trip, were both raised in families that helped those around them. “My parents never turned anyone away who needed help,” Joshua explains. “You share what you have.” This spirit of helping the community and contributing back to those around them is what they are passing on to their two boys, Carter and Micah, 5 and 2. Volunteers for the City of Columbia since they moved here in 2005, Joshua and Tara volunteer individually, together, and with the boys. “We are trying to instill a sense of community in the boys, help them not be so egocentric, and see that the world is bigger than themselves,” Joshua informs.
Their volunteer work includes: Big Brothers and Big Sisters, Columbia Festival of the Arts, Heritage Festival, Cleanup Columbia, Family Fun Nights, Show Me State Games, and church mission and volunteer work.
Joshua, a teacher at CORE, got his students volunteering. Together they care for an Adopt A Spot at Nifong and Bethel, cleanup Cosmo-Bethel Park, and help twice a week at the Food Pantry. “They take pride in contributing to their community and making a positive impact,” Joshia says of his students.
“People say I don’t want to give up my weekends or time off, but volunteering usually takes an hour or two,” Tara says. “It’s showing up and filling a need.”
~Written by volunteer Theresa Nelson
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