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Do you volunteer or do charity work?

Do you volunteer or do charity work?

  • Yes

    Votes: 20 60.6%

  • No

    Votes: 2 6.1%

  • I have in the past

    Votes: 11 33.3%
  • Total voters
    33
Tula_Montage

Tula_Montage

It's Jager time!
Just wondering if anyone else dedicated any spare time to helping a cause they feel passionate about? I have volunteered at the PDSA for a few months now, as well as being in full time education and working 26 hours a week. I hate not being busy lol.

I absolutly love it, the people are wonderful and I have made so many friends through my work. If you do volunteer or do charity work why do you do it? If you don't why not? (The obvious being no spare time, but lets face it, a few hours a week goes a long way).
 
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I *worked* as a volunteer for a year! Yup, with the AmeriCorps*VISTA program...the requirement is to live at the level of poverty for a year (I was paid $168 a week during the year 2000, and my share of the rent was $400!). I worked with Boston Public Schools via the organization ReadBoston to promote literacy in children. I worked very long days & had nary a day off...but, I got a job out of it, so it was worth it. :) I also volunteered while being a volunteer with the Homeless Initiative...I played with kids in shelters. :) I did some volunteering in high school, some in college, and more since then...currently, it's tough because what work I don't get done in school, I have to do at home (grading papers sucks!), grad classes and "continuing professional development" (i.e, teacher workshops, seminars & curriculum stuff!). However, I tutored a little boy before school (my time) and I also volunteer with Roosevelt University to hand out rainbow bracelets during the Pride Parade -- I've now been *in* the parade for 5 years, this Sunday! I also volunteer the whole weekend of ReptileFest to hand out my cornsnakes to thousands of awed people...:) I do it all because it's fun. :cheers:
 
Cegninedorf said:
I *worked* as a volunteer for a year! Yup, with the AmeriCorps*VISTA program...the requirement is to live at the level of poverty for a year (I was paid $168 a week during the year 2000, and my share of the rent was $400!). I worked with Boston Public Schools via the organization ReadBoston to promote literacy in children. I worked very long days & had nary a day off...but, I got a job out of it, so it was worth it. :) I also volunteered while being a volunteer with the Homeless Initiative...I played with kids in shelters. :) I did some volunteering in high school, some in college, and more since then...currently, it's tough because what work I don't get done in school, I have to do at home (grading papers sucks!), grad classes and "continuing professional development" (i.e, teacher workshops, seminars & curriculum stuff!). However, I tutored a little boy before school (my time) and I also volunteer with Roosevelt University to hand out rainbow bracelets during the Pride Parade -- I've now been *in* the parade for 5 years, this Sunday! I also volunteer the whole weekend of ReptileFest to hand out my cornsnakes to thousands of awed people...:) I do it all because it's fun. :cheers:
Click to expand...

Oh woa! Methinks I don't do enough lol. You are absolutly right though, Volunteering is damn fun, and you get the oppertunity to do things, see things and meet people you would never think you would.
 
Tula_Montage said:
Oh woa! Methinks I don't do enough lol. You are absolutly right though, Volunteering is damn fun, and you get the oppertunity to do things, see things and meet people you would never think you would.
Click to expand...

I thinks that you do just fine! Whatever you *can* do, that's what counts...:cheers:
 
Cegninedorf said:
I thinks that you do just fine! Whatever you *can* do, that's what counts...:cheers:
Click to expand...

Well thats what I thought. I study Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and work Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Which leaves me late afternoons to volunteer. I guess I do about 7 hours a week for the PDSD. It's not as much as I would like to do but I really enjoy what I CAN do.
 
I used to do quite a bit of volunteer stuff in the past. Right up until I was 23, I was actively involved in Girl Scouts and our troop did so many different events year round that I can't even begin to list them all. I enjoyed it quite a bit, but lost the drive when the GS Council became too political.

I'd love both of our girls get into Scouting, but the GS's of today are nothing like they were when I was in Scouts. Sad really... and I did try when Elizabeth was younger, but she just didn't take to it.
 
The two things I can remember offhand are Big Brothers and Big Sisters- I was a Big Sister, and I volunteered for an organization called Cloud Nine which was letting handicapped kids ride horses. I took my kid to the Special Olympics.
 
I did volunteer work with guide dogs for the blind, spending a year helping a man who's dog was retiring get fit enough for a new, younger dog. Basically I took him out for walks twice a week, gradually building up the speed and distance, he then passed his fitness test and got a new dog. After that I used to go back to walk his retired dog. (This was in my teens, at uni. He died just before I left but at least he'd got his independence back).
I also used to collect for Unicef every year, and took part in a sponsored 'jail break', where you had to travel as far as possible in 24 hours by hitch hiking, I made it to Belfast.
I was going to sign up for the Cancer research race for life before I got injured. I feel I really should start doing some form of volunteer or charity work again though.
 
When I was stationed in Colorado, I used to volunteer to cook at the homeless shelter on holidays. I was single then, and it was good to get out of the barracks and be with people since my family was so far away. Also I felt kind of like I owed the world, lol, having come back from Iraq in one piece. The people cooking there loved it, cause they weren't 'cooks' for a living and I found it quite easy to cook for 150 or so when my day job was cooking for 900.

Out here in California I do some trail work occasionally with the Santa Monica mountain trail council. That's somewhat selfishly motivated though as I use those trails weekly.
 
I'm a coach, an umprie, and a board member for a local softball league.
I am a team captain for the ACS Relay for Life.
I spend a few hours at our local shelter.

And...
I babysit at my church once a month for single mother with toddlers. It's a group like thing where they all get together and do something. I'm not sure, I'm watching the kids. lol.

I enjoy every moment of everything I do. I have good and bad moments with each place but over all it's worth it. The Relay for Life I have been doing for 6 years now and each year we raise more and more. More and more people come. Each year I see new faces walking the track and hear new stories. Even after 6 years it still warms my heart.
 
When I was single and living in Boston, I had very few friends as I had just moved there. One of my patients was recently diagnosed with HIV (and this was back in the early 90's, and the prognosis was always poor). He took me to a homeless shelter/soup kitchen, and after the first night, I was hooked. I loved it. I loved the people..they had so much to offer with their insight into the world. After that I volunteered with the homeless and also at the diabetic camps for kids. Now that I'm a mom, I have two young sons who are very spoiled by extended family members. We do every other friday volunteer work at the local Ronald McDonald house or the homeless shelters. I want them to have very "hands on" jobs. It's very important to me that they give back to society. I'm sometimes criticized for showing them the more difficult lessons in life at such an early age (they're 5 and 6) but I feel that they're more than old enough to realize that not everyone has what they're fortunate to have. It's become a fun adventure for them to pack up toys or clothes and shoes that don't fit, as well as books that others can use. It's made a huge difference in their outlook, and they no longer have this sense of "entitlement". As long as they live under the roof that I pay for, they'll continue to give back to the world.
 
I feel like such a lazy slug after reading all these stories.
I've volunteered before on trail and trash cleanup type projects. Removing non-native species and planting trees. But I haven't done anything like that for a while.
I would like to get into volunteering at an animal shelter but I'm too afraid I would lose it every time an animal wasn't adopted and had to be put to sleep...
 
I do volunteer work at the Cavespring Historical and Nature park a few minutes from my house. I help take care of our 5 ft black rat snake. Sometimes, during peak hours, I used to bring my last corn snake up there so people could get a good look at a snake up close and ask questions. I'm not bringing my current snake up until he gets a little weight on him. He is still kind of at the tiny fragile stage where I don't want too many people holding or touching him.
 
When I'm in California (most of the year) I work very regularly at the humane society. I work mostly with the dogs, taking them out for much needed walks, and trying to get them adopted.
I also used to volunteer at a local horse rescue center, just taking care of the horses.
 
I spend a ridiculous number of hours every week on my volunteer "jobs". I am on the boards of directors of 2 dog rescues (one for large breed mutts, the other for Siberian Huskies), and run a reptile rescue, as well as volunteer at my local humane society.

Now, if I could only figure out how to get PAID for it so I could quit my day job!

sonja
 
I forgot, I was a zoo docent for many years as a teenager, which involved giving tours of the zoo, (Como, for those of you from MN) taking animals to schools, shopping centers, TV shows, handling birds of prey so they could be used for demonstrations, and training a camel.

I've also put in hundreds of hours building and maintaining mountain bike trails at a local state park.
 
I am impressed. You are a remarkable group of people. Glad to know you!!!

I have done some stuff too. Won't detail it.
 
Until a few years ago I worked on a couple campuses with LBTGA, going into classes and talking about condoms and the benefits of using them. I also had a supply with me most of the time and was know as the "condom lady" no joke.
I also have worked with Hospice in particular with AIDES patients. It has gotten physically too difficult to do this right now. I am thinking of being a reader, someone who reads to people who themsleves can't read for various reasons.
 
I am so thrilled to hear soooo many poeople give their spare time to help such causes. We all deserve a big group hug :p
 
I've volunteered with the SPCA for over 4 years - that didn't end well when they tried to ban all pythons and boas province wide.

Now I'm happy to help with reptile educational shows, but I wish I could do more. The reptile rescue is way to far from my house to volunteer weekly, and I did tell the local Neighbourhood house I was available sunday mornings but they haven't contacted me.

But I like seeing what everyone else has posted, it gives me ideas!
 
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