Last Wednesday, eighty Northfield residents gathered at St. Olaf College for the launching of the “Utter Joy” campaign. 5th Bridge, a new organization in town, announced their efforts to encourage the habits of volunteerism and philanthropy in Northfield.

The “Utter Joy” campaign endeavors to “make volunteerism a way of life” for all Northfielders and asks pledgers to commit five (5) hours of time per month in service to others. The pledge puts no criteria on the nature or focus of the volunteer service, and counts hours contributed in any community. 5th Bridge announced its goal for 2006: 150,000 hours pledged (2,500 Northfield residents x 5 hours per month x 12 months).

As I noted in my recent blog entry about the late Don Tarr, Northfield runs on volunteerism. Our community’s workload is only growing, so pitch in today.