Passing the volunteer torch

As longtime volunteers grow older, many want to take a step back to allow for more travel and leisure time. What will volunteer organizations do to fill the void, and how can we keep older volunteers active? Many communities are struggling to find an answer.

Wolf Point’s Clint and Arlyss Long have been at the head of a small army of volunteers behind the Wild Horse Stampede, the oldest continuous rodeo in the state of Montana, for nearly 40 years. Along with the many challenges experienced across the nation in 2020, including COVID-19’s economic impacts and public health restrictions, the Stampede was faced this year with replacing its long-standing leaders. The Longs decided at the conclusion of the 2019 rodeo season to retreat from leadership roles on the Stampede committee.   

“We told them at the end of the last day of the rodeo,” Arlyss said.