What sort of volunteer work do you do in your community?

In these dark times, it is important to remember we are part of a chain of big-hearted people who care about the Earth, about the life that gives it fruitfulness, and about a world where rights would be respected, children cherished and Peace prevail.

What do YOU do to be of service? How does volunteering feed your soul and make you hopeful about the world?

Me? I volunteer regularly at my kids' schools and with a local hospice organization as a Volunteer Visitor. I sit with the dying and provide emotional and practical support to their families, as well. I have been deeply blessed by this work because, among other things, it takes me out of my own personal concerns and taps me into the Bigger Picture of our common humanity.

I'm curious to hear other perspectives and experiences on this issue...

:hi:
Shine

Apparently some people think I am evil for doing this.

Good for you and thank you for your contribution.

:hug:
Shine

It's a group of parents that raise money to throw a very big party for graduating seniors at our high school. The students are "locked in" at the local YMCA and there is music, games, food, entertainment, etc. There is no alcohol and no one is driving anywhere and everybody stays safe.

We're trying to raise $15,000 for this year's kids.

for $15,000, you should be able to throw those kids a VERY fun party!
Good luck and thanks for your efforts!

:hug:
Shine

in the woods and in the prairie. I am also on the RCIA team at my church.

It's great to help connect people and kids with nature. Good for you! What's RCIA mean? Not familiar with that term.

Shine

I'm helping people on their spiritual paths. RCIA is what one goes through to becomed a Catholic.

I was raised Catholic and hadn't heard of RCIA. My mother is heavily involved in the Catholic church, has received Carmelite teachings, etc, etc...

Me? I think of myself as a born-again pagan. These days, the earth is my church. :)

Blessings to you and the work you are doing,
Shine
:hug:

Since i got on disability i do what work i can at the local soup kitchen. I normally work 4 days a wk, making 2 meals a day.

Best job i ever had! I would not trade it for any paying job i have ever had.

Thanks for the difference you are making in that soup kitchen.

:hug:
Shine

I miss it. It provided some really life-transforming experiences. Hard to get pissed off at traffic when you've just spent an afternoon with someone who is coping with a brain tumor.

Unfortunately, it's tough to do with the amount of travel I do for work. And I hate to complain, but the requirments have become onerous. When I first started, I got a background check and hospice training, and then everything was fine. Then they added annual TB testing. Then each year, you had to bring in your driver's license, registration and insurance for them to photocopy for their files. Then they started requiring different educational stuff, all of which had to be done at the hospice office. Eventually, they started giving "job reviews". That did it. I am NOT sitting down and getting scolded once a year for not getting my paperwork in on time for a volunteer position.

It becomes almost impossible to fulfill all the annual requirements (many of which are state mandated, not arbitrarily put in place by the hospice org) when the hospice operates 9-5 and I work 9-5.

It sounds as if, you too, have felt blessed by it. I agree, it definitely helps to keep the "small stuff" in perspective when one is with someone suffering from cancer.

I am sorry to hear you feel frustrated by the hospice requirements becoming "onerous", but to me, the benefits of staying involved definitely outweigh the hassle-factor. Yes, I've had to get the yearly TB tests, and do some paperwork, but they haven't been terribly inconvenient. It was only in my first year of volunteering that they made a specific request to put in at least 4 hrs/week. After that, at least at my local hospice, they are grateful for any and all time they can get and we receive MUCH appreciation for that time.

Right now, I am between clients, but I usually only give about 2 hrs a week and they are thrilled to have that help. We also have a vigiling program set up through our hospice to provide round-the-clock vigiling for those clients who are actively dying. I am usually not as flexible to be "on call" as that requires, but for someone like yourself, it might provide an opportunity to be of service in that way. I don't know if all hospices operate this way or have that program available. Our hospice is able to provide support at all times of day and is not relegated to the 9 to 5 schedule, b/c we don't operate out of a single building. We go to visit the clients in their homes, their nursing homes, where ever we are needed...

We have monthly Volunteer Visitor support group meetings, where we come together and share stories, experiences, bring up questions...It's a wonderful way for me to stay connected with the reasons why I do this work and to feel renewed.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, :hug:
Shine

When I first started traveling for work, they moved me off having my own patients, and gave me patients where the caretaker needed someone to come in while she went to church, or I substituted when the family needed to go to a First Communion or something. There's very little bond with the (generally sleeping) patients in these cases, but it provides a needed service.

Funny true hospice story (we look for laughter wherever we can!)
I had a great funny patient, Mrs. B, with dementia who had no ability to form new memories. In other words, each visit went fine, but she never had any idea who I was when I came back . I used to call her The Groundhog's Day patient - every visit got better, because I found out the ideal combination of topics she liked to discuss and memories she enjoyed sharing, and no worry about coming up with something new each time.

Once, she told me this story about her evil identical twin, whose exploits always came back to bite poor Mrs. B in the butt, and who caused much havoc and basically was the source of everything that went wrong in her life. I wrote this off with some of the other wacky stories she told me.

I was shocked, then, to walk into Mrs. B's funeral and see Mrs. B herself sitting in the front pew. Almost fainted until I remembered the "evil twin" stories.

Yes, being with a Alzheimers andor dementia patient is always a great opportunity to be "In the Moment", as they say.

Shine
:hi:

Henry, Clay Henry

I didn't quite get the "Henry, Clay Henry" line, but volunteering as a fireman is noble work, indeed.

Thanks for your contribution!

:hug:
Shine

thanks for the newsflash...

;)

Shine

There's nothing to volunteer for!

but only if one is willing....

Peace,
Shine
:hug:

at the moment, but during the summer I volunteer at an inner-city school where my aunt teaches, for their summer school program.

didn't even consider doing anything for anybody else. It was all I could do, just to get by.

Sometimes we are simply in "survival mode" and don't have the extre bandwidth to give back. And that's OK.

We do what we can, when we can, right?

Good on ya! Thanks for helping out with those kids last summer!

:hug:
Shine

I did it for about one year, after my own business had to close its doors and I was part-timing elsewhere and could afford to spend about three mornings a week doing manual work. It's fascinating seeing houses being built, step by step and participating in creating something valuable and lasting, that wasn't there before. I would say you get much more out of it in satisfaction than you put in. It's very satisfying to wander through a near-completed house and imagine the happy family that will soon be living in it. I should probably do it again, but I kind of had a big argument with the other workers there. Habitat For Humanity does marvelous work, but it's run by Evangelical Christians for the most part. The ones with whom I was working were all big Bush supporters and very right wing. The foreman on the work site when I first showed up to volunteer in fact said that Liberals need not apply to do volunteer work. After working many months with them and holding my tongue, hearing them discuss politics while we were doing such things as screwing in drywall or painting, I just couldn't hold back anymore and had to speak up. This was in conservative Orange County, California and so I hope it isn't typical of HFH elsewhere.

great and valuable gift of service to HFH! How sad. I have not heard of them being particulary conservative, but I am absolutely amazed to hear your story. How short-sighted of the foreman to rule out any liberal volunteers! That's pretty lame, if you ask me.

I am glad you spoke up and I hope you are able to find another organization close by that is worthy of your big heart.

:hug:
Shine

in different counties. I really should try hooking up with another construction site. I hope that my experience wasn't common and was only a reflection of the very conservative Orange County where the job site was located. Habitat For Humanity does advertise itself as "A nonprofit, ecumenical Christian housing ministry" but I would not have supposed that ultra conservative volunteers at the job site could take over that way. Whatever their politics, however, they do a lot of good for the people.

I like your idea of hooking up with another construction site. Sounds like a great plan!

I can imagine you have a great sense of satisfaction to build something tangible, from the ground up. The fact that you are building peoples' homes makes it even more special.

Keep up the great work. It sounds as if you are drawn to it.

Shine

After about 30 years in a local volunteer fire department I've gotten busy and a little to old to keep responding. So for over the last year and ahalf I have been volunteering one Sat. a month with the area Habitat For Humanity.

Nice people. Since this on the East coast, they are primarily liberal, though have found it a very mixed bunch of people.

30 yrs of volunteering with the fire dept, I am impressed. What a great way to be of service.

Glad to know you've branched out to HFH, since it sounds like that works better for you.

Thanks for all you have done and are doing. :hug:

Best wishes and welcome to DU, from one newbie, to another!
:hi:
Shine

participate in.

Down here, the United Methodists work with Habitat on a conference wide, district wide and individual church level. Our district has a couple or three houses that are the designated district projects and any congregation can participate at whatever level. Our church usually takes a house and the various groups within the church pick work days, so the members of those groups can work together. Our current project is just gearing up and will go through Decemver, and our class is assigned three work days. So we sign up and go.

My employer participates in Habitat, and we can sign up via our Human Resources dept.

My suggestion is to root around for civic organizations or liberal faith groups that are participating and try to work with them.

Believe me, this is a conservative, right wing area, but there are large pockets of liberals, and we tend to congregate together. One of the reasons the church I attend is so large is that it is a liberal magnet. You wouldn't get sent away from one of our work days nor would you feel you wanted to leave out of disgust either.

unfortunately..... I'm a teacher.....
When I get home (because I'm not the sit at my desk kind of teacher) I'm so fucking tired..... I can't move!
Last night I fell asleep right in the chair I first sat down in.... with my book bag still in my lap.
The Commie woke me up at 11pm and put me to bed when he came home from work.

we can.

I give credit to you teachers. Hard work, indeed.

Thanks for all you do and the difference you make.

:hug:
Shine

;-)

I served on the Board at my Unitarian Church
Served on the Board of the Battered Woman's Shelter
Served on the board of The Ohio Independent Film Organization
Served on the Board of MADD.....

And help raise money for all sorts of causes....

But since I have been, how shall we say this, Oxygen Challenged, I just send a little money, work on political campaigns and help out individuals...

however, despite your current Oxygen Challenged condition, it sounds as if you have still found ways to continue being of service, that are just as valuable. Good for you, my friend!

Thanks for your contributions.

:hug:
Shine

Chemistry mostly, but whatever they have. Hopefully keep a few out of the military.

I could've used Operation Jump Start when I was in HS! I'm glad to know you're doing your part to keep a few out of the military, too.

Good on ya and keep up the great work, friend!

:hug:
Shine

community.

Back to School clothes project
Christmas Chili Lunches for Homeless
Lenten Lunches for Homeless
Annual Church Wide Garage Sale

Christmas Dinner for Residents at YWCA

and other things as they come along.

I am not skilled with tools and other homebuilding things so I am not much good on mission trips and Habitat, but I can bring food for the workers.

I bake cakes to help raise money for assorted projects also

and talents in a way that speaks to your heart, yellowdog. Sounds like you know your way around a kitchen! :)

Thanks for all that you do.
:hug:

Shine

I work every year, every single broadcast. Then there's the symphony, the local Amber Alert chapter. Stop me before I volunteer some more!

It sounds like you definitely keep busy, lizziegrace, with all those other activities as well. Good for you!

It feels good to volunteer, doesn't it? As long as you don't burn out. It's all about staying in Balance...

Thanks for the difference YOU make and welcome to DU, from one newbie, to another!

:hi:
Shine

The tv auction is so much fun. Hard work, but fun. Local radio DJs are the emcees and my daughter even helps set up table displays. At one point, a DJ we know put his arm around her shoulder (she's 18) and she started laughing and tried to back up. I was standing behind the camera and she ended up in a head lock. But, being the trooper she is, she was still holding up "the item up for bid"... and smiling.

Sure beats sitting at a desk all day job!

We are teaching our children well how to be of service and give back.

Good for you!

:hi:
Shine

Plus I rebuild computers for them.

I can tell by your cute little duck tape action that you're good with a computer. :)

More power to you, friend! Thanks for all you do.

:hug:
Shine

n/t

It is a homeless shelter.

The homeless situation in our country is really disheartening at times. It's good to know there are people like yourself out there, making a difference and helping to create a better world for them.

Thanks for your contribution, my friend.

:hug:
Shine

My son was never into that stuff, so we missed out. I bet you've had fun with it. Kudos to you.

:hi:
Shine

that grows vegetables for local food banks. They're starting to cover up for the winter.

Tomorrow: working with a wetlands restoration/observation dealio for a local elementary school.

Four days a week--work as a literacy tutor/support person for kids K-5.


I'm in AmeriCorps. I work, where needed, 45 hours a week. I do have a stipend--$750 a month (!)--but we're not exactly in it for the money in this program.

Yes, the money thing is a real issue, but oh, holy cow, how sweet it is to see these kids learn. Absolutely astonishing.

PS--Can anyone loan me bus fare?
:silly:

Yes,having a positive impact on kids' lives is worth so much more than money can buy. Thanks for the difference you are making and all your contributions!

May your generosity be returned to you, a thousand-fold.

:hug:
Shine

How wonderful that organizations like those exist. Good for you and thanks for all you are doing.

:hug:
Shine

at http://www.freegeek.org/

On occasion I do the SMART (start making a reader today) program with my aunt.

Maybe you can find another place that can use your talents, wherever you are now.

Good luck and all the best...

:hi:
Shine

I'm looking into what it would take to duplicate freegeek there.

:hi:

I work with Planned Parenthood offering counseling to teens mostly about responsible sexuality, birthcontrol, and (sadly) abortion.

I've recently started back volunteering at a convalescent hospital - state run for hopeless cases. But I've met many wonderful people. I think I get more from what I do than they get from me doing it.


After my little sister's death from cancer, I've tried to be there to help other people facing cancer. I gave my car to a woman with a brain tumour who needed it.


I gave half my furniture to a young woman who was recently widowed with three kids and almost no means of support.

This isn't a "Look what a great guy Khash is!" post. More of a "Look at what a lucky guy Khash is!" post. When you give something (and it's so damn easy!) you receive so much more in return.


'Nuff said - except, life is short and we have so little time. Use that time as best you can.....


Khash.
(I can bitch and complain with the best of 'em - but I have been blessed and if I don't share those blessings then I didn't deserve them. It's a duty and a joy.....)

It was challenging, but I found it to be extremely rewarding. Our agency also saw a fair number of trauma cases which made it an equally sad and hopeful place to work.

I am absolutely sorry to hear about your little sister. :hug:

We must use it well and as consciously as possible.

I am so deeply sorry to hear of the tragic loss of your little sister to cancer. I am certain that the work you are doing honors her memory.

We are here to bless and be blessed. Thank you for your contributions and the difference you make.

:hug:
Shine

Not the prettiest line of work, per se, but I wouldn't change it for the world.

"Not the prettiest line of work, per se, but I wouldn't change it for the world."


I don't think people who don't do this stuff really get it, but once you do start doing it.....


Well, what you said - simple, honest, true. It can be hard, it can be tedious, it can sometimes be heartbreaking, but...... I wouldn't change it for the world either.

I'm really loving this thread - how people give their time, their love, their care. It's inspiring! And I feel so much pity for those that don't.....

Khash.

Your post made me smile.

At the risk of sounding like a cliche, I can't even begin to express the ways in which doing the work that I do, with the people that I work with, has made me a more robust, more compassionate individual. Some people look to the ground and see a junkie rightfully lying in a gutter.... just another piece of litter to sidestep in our messy concrete jungle. I pop a squat next to them and ask them to tell me about themselves.

I love my work. :)

But you might appreciate this.

Dorothy was schizophrenic and diabetic. She had both legs amputated. She loved life and everyone passionately.

Leonard had shot himself in the head (and so had the mentality of a child). One kind word could make him happy for days. One unkind look could make him cry.

Yeah, a couple totally fucked up people. And they were my friends. And not a day goes by that I don't think about them and miss them.

And I've been asked why I'd spend so much time with such waste cases. Short answer: "Fuck off, idiot!" Long answer: In spite of the sorrow of knowing the truth about them, they taught me about unconditional love. By giving it to me, I learned how to give it in return.

I would not trade that part of my life for the world and all it's riches, because it would not even begin to compare.


Khash.

I do get it. Truly, deeply and profoundly.. I get it. :)

:pals:

How wonderful that you were able to receive such important gifts from your friends, before they died. I am sure you gave them, and continue to give others, many gifts in return.

The power of a personal sense of meaning to change the experience of work, of relationship, or even of life cannot be underestimated. I also think meaning may be a very practical matter for those of us who do difficult work or lead difficult lives. Meaning is strength.
:pals:

Shine

You are doing important work and it makes a big difference. Thank you for the compassion you bring.

:hug:
Shine

I work in the trauma department and I am quite familiar with the important role of providing assistance to the sick and dying.

into perspective, doesn't it?

It has also made me wonder about the nature of the heart. More than a way of loving, the heart may be a way of experiencing life, the capacity to know a fundamental connection to others and see them whole. The opening of the heart seems to go far beyond love to an experience of belonging which heals our most profound wounds. When people look at others in this way, the connection they experience makes it a simpler thing to forgive, to have compassion, to serve and to love.

Perhaps the healing of the world rests on just this sort of shift in our way of seeing, a coming to know that in our suffering and our joy we are connected to one another with unbreakable and compelling human bonds. In that knowing, all of us become less vulnerable and alone. The heart, which can see these connections, may be far more powerful a source of healing than the mind.

:hug:
Shine

Since we are harm reduction-based, we generally attract a different type of volunteer (e.g. people a lot like me). We have some excellent political discussions. :)

for kids with developmental disabilities. There is a rubberized baseball field that the kids play on. Many of the kids are in wheelchairs. I hope another season starts soon, it has been a while since I was able to volunteer after I had knee surgery, but I may be good to go now.

http://www.miracleleague.com/

But, really thumbs up to that sigline. :)

:)

You are giving these kids a big gift, nytmemare. I hope you are able to get back into it again, now that your knee has healed.

Good for you!

:hug:
Shine

Trash collecting out on Ft. Steilacoom Disc Golf course.
http://www.leftcoastdiscgolf.com/index.php?option=com_zoom&Itemid=42&catid=88
At one time this course was rated at 9th best in the nation, maintenance is a daily thing which we members do as volunteer work.
We are inspired to do this by an old man named Ray. Ray is a WWII vet., navy I think. Ray helped set this course up about 15 years ago, he poured the majority of the concrete tee pads himself. (More than 40 of them at least). Ray planted the chain baskets. Ray hacked out of the brush the majority of the fairways,(by hand). Over the years he mowed most of these as well.
Ray teaches proper techniques for throwing the discs, he has likely taught a quarter of the people who have ever been there. The course has an average of 500 or so folks a day in the summer and perhaps 50 a day in the winter, Ray has greeted most of them.
Ray sells us our frisbee discs, his 50 cent profit per disc goes back into the course. Ray is a repository for found discs which he returns to the owner but only if they were smart enough to put their name on it, (Ray ALWAYS carries a Sharpie for just that purpose). Ray spends at least an hour a day out at the course, although his average in the spring and summer months can be as much as 4 or 5 hours per day, 7 days a week.
Ray carries along a pocket radio in the summer so he can keep up with his Seattle Mariners. Each time I bring a new person out to the course I make sure to check in with Ray so he can take this new person out into an adjacent sports field for instructions on how to throw a disc. Ray loves Ft. Steillacoom Disc Golf Course, (it shows). Ray has never received a dime of profit for any of his work during all these years.
I have fond memories of sitting at the pic-nic table with Ray where he sells his discs. He and I have rip roaring debates, always respectful and civil of course. Ray and I absolutely do NOT see eye to eye on a couple of issues. You see Ray also finds time for a wife and Church every Sunday. Being an atheist provides one topic for Ray and I to debate, although the fact that he is a retired republican precinct commander gives us better topics for debating. Ray can not understand how I can be an atheist, a Democrat AND such a nice guy.
It is a distinct honor to say to anyone who cares that Ray is my friend.
You asked about volunteer work for the community, I pick up trash on Ft. Steilacoom Disc Golf course, a park which has brought countless hours of fun and exercise to tens of thousands of people over the years. Should you or anyone else from the DU ever come through Tacoma Washington I would be pleased as punch to take you out for a round on Ray's course.

It's really great to hear how you and Ray have been able to create a friendship, despite your differences of opinion. When people come together to do good work, for a bigger cause, wonderful things are possible, don't you agree?

Thanks for your good energy out there on that disc golf course,chknltl.

:hug:
Shine

I volunteer at both my kids' schools, middle school and elementary every other day. I also volunteer to sing at nursing homes and hospitals. I do at least 5 benefits every year where I put together shows to raise money for various causes like breast cancer, crime victims, domestic abuse, local shelters, etc.. as well as Katrina relief (I've done 3 benefits so far). I try to do what I can to help people through music. I wish I had other skills and would like to do more, but music is what I know.

You are creating Change and Peace through your musical gifts. I, too, love to sing and am part of a community choir that performs at various churches and gives concerts. Raising our voices in song is one of the most uplifting and inspirational things we can do, imo.

Blessings to you and the wonderful gifts of service you are providing. As a parent myself, another benefit of volunteering is the role-modeling we are giving to our kids. They will grow up knowing that being of sacred service is our obligation and our great joy in this lifetime.

Together, we are creating a better world, right sister?

:hug:
Shine