When I look around Saratoga, I see a city shaped by the countless hours given by dedicated volunteers who have deeply invested in our community’s well-being. Volunteerism remains integral to Saratoga’s identity, evident in landmarks like the Saratoga Library, supported by groups like the Foothill Club and Friends of the Saratoga Library, and community events such as Saratoga Nights, energized by our Chamber of Commerce and Saratoga Vitality volunteer group.
Yet, many local organizations tell me they’re facing challenges in attracting a consistent flow of new volunteers. This issue highlights a broader challenge: sustaining active civic engagement across generations.
Several factors contribute to this trend. A significant one is the decline of local journalism. Once, multiple local newspapers regularly covered city council meetings, school board decisions and neighborhood activities, ensuring residents remained connected to local and regional issues. Today, our attention is often pulled toward global news headlines and the continuous flow of information on digital platforms, which can obscure community matters that directly impact our daily lives.
Demographic shifts also play a substantial role. Many households in Saratoga now have dual-income parents juggling demanding careers, family responsibilities and other commitments, leaving less time for community volunteering. Our aging population also means fewer traditional gathering points like youth sports events or school-based activities, which historically encouraged local interactions. Additionally, younger generations often prefer flexible, episodic volunteer opportunities over long-term commitments, which can impact traditional volunteer models.
Despite these challenges, I remain optimistic about Saratoga’s potential for community connection. The steadily growing attendance at Saratoga Nights clearly signals our collective desire for local gatherings and personal connections.
So, how can we nurture civic pride and volunteerism today? Start with small steps: greet your neighbors regularly, participate in local community gatherings or explore one of Saratoga’s many volunteer opportunities available at saratoga.ca.us/volunteer. Civic pride isn’t confined to grand gestures; it flourishes in everyday kindness and consistent connections we foster. Consider applying to a city commission, which is a lightweight yet meaningful way to serve your neighbors and friends in an official capacity while gaining valuable insight into local governance.
Everyone is involved in something, which is excellent. But don’t be shy about inviting your friends and neighbors into your communal activities, and hopefully they’ll do the same for you. Often, folks within a given ethnic or religious group engage in communal activities together, which is lovely. However, local civic organizations and commissions offer opportunities to expand beyond these circles, leveraging skills many in our community have developed through building synagogues, mosques, companies, churches, nonprofits and more, ultimately enriching Saratoga as a whole. Each volunteer who participates—whether tending the flowers downtown like our wonderful Village Gardeners, supporting local businesses or assisting with community events—strengthens the social fabric that makes our city unique.
I encourage each of you—young or old, new resident or lifelong Saratogan—to actively seek your place within our community fabric. Each gesture of volunteering, or even just attending an event, reinforces our collective identity and ensures Saratoga remains a city we are all proud to call home. Together, let’s build on our volunteerism and civic pride tradition, securing Saratoga’s vibrant legacy for generations to come.
Belal Aftab is the mayor of Saratoga.
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