Volunteer work: cause & effect

[shootingstar]

Have you done any volunteer work? And what did you get most from it all? Are you doing any now? I'm such a lazy bird..right now, I'm not.

The stuff I've done over the years has totalled more in terms of hrs., than the volunteer work I've done for cycling (5 yrs. for a women's cycling group in Toronto. We had to let the organization die, due to lack of new volunteer blood. In the end, it was hard but I did gain alot in different ways and more long-term friends from it all.)

Come on 'fess up: here's more about multi-facted you beyond cycling or with cycling too.

[Possegal]

I've done a lot of volunteer work. When I was pretty fresh out of grad school, I had little money but wanted to give back in some way. The county I live in has a program for people who want to volunteer but can't commit to doing something on a regular basis. So they have a lot of different things, you get the newsletter, there is a team leader, you sign up and do the one event. I ended up as a team leader and had a reputation for doing many of the events with the adult developmentally disabled, every team leader seemed to have their niche. When my mother would come visit me, she'd do events with me, I loved that. When she died, I sort of crawled in a shell for a long time, and I got out of doing that. I've done some volunteering with a singles group, figuring if I was in search of Mr Right, I may as well accomplish some good things in the process. Still no Mr Right, but I did like doing so many different projects. I've helped landscape at the National Zoo, packed meals for people living with HIV, painted a home for women who were abused, baked goodies at a home for disabled that we then took to a homeless shelter, fed the homeless, my favorite event was a monthly dance for adult disabled - that was a blast and I can still see my mother out there dancing with everyone and anyone. I then worked one night a month at the BINGO held at that center that helped fund the dances. My mother and I joked that all good Catholic girls eventually end up at BINGO.

I really should get back to that, now that I'm typing about it.

What did I get out of it? Just the feeling that I was giving back to a world that, despite how tough things have sometimes been for me, has really given me so very much. As sad as I can be about certain aspects of my life, it never hurts to remind myself that in the grand scheme of things, I've done quite well in this world and so very many others have not. My parents instilled in us kids the whole concept of "to those whom much is given, much is expected". I guess that is why I've done a lot of volunteer work.

[newfsmith]

My working life was pretty time consuming, 50 and 60 hour weeks were common, so by the time I took care of 2 kids, hubby, and house there was nothing left. One of my goals when I retired was to find something I could do as a volunteer to give back for all those years of just working. I had considered both MassHort and New England Wildflower Society, but then after I built my first bike and realized how empowering that was, and what a sense of accomplishment it gave me, I knew I wanted to do something with kids and cycling. For me Bikes-not-Bombs was the answer. I'm about to start my second session as an adult volunteer in the earn-a-bike program for 12 to 18 year old boys and girls from inner-city Boston. I get a tremendous kick out of it, seeing the kids doing something they didn't think they could do, playing ice-breaker games with them, having them ask me if it would be OK to call me "Miss Jean", going on rides with them, even nagging them to check their bike before riding. I feel like I'm helping the individual kids as well as the biking community. In addition to the earn-a-bike program I've been going in one night a week to help get bikes ready to ship to Central America or Africa to the international programs. Some will be turned into water-pumps, corn mills, or power blenders used to process other crops. Others become transportation for kids to go to school or people to get to jobs. This feels so good I think I ought to pay them for the privilege of doing it.

[DebW]

Wow, that's great Jean. I used to volunteer as a Red Cross first aid and CPR instructor. Did that for about 18 years. It was rewarding, thinking you might teach someone skills that would save lives. Now I'm a volunteer trail maintainer on the Massachusetts Appalachian Trail, and part of the Mass. AT Management Committee. The work is really fun, if you like to wield sharp tools in the woods. And I've learned new skills, like how to build a composting privy and dig waterbars (hmm, maybe I wouldn't NEED those skills if I didn't work on the trail).

[shootingstar]

When my mother would come visit me, she'd do events with me, I loved that. When she died, I sort of crawled in a shell for a long time, and I got out of doing that.

Glad you got back into it. Those events that you did with your mother are precious memories. Sounds like you're carrying part of her spirit forward.

And newsmith, I haven't gotten involved in any volunteer work, where kids would call me "Miss Jean". I'm a Jean also, in real life. How many bikes will your organization be shipping out overseas?

And abit unlike all 3 of you, including DebW, outside of my past volunteer cycling work, it's more I guess cerebral, inside stuff but still working with others.. During university I did volunteer work for a few years working in resource centre on resources on the developing countries and race relations. (the work did influence my career choice later). Afterwards 3 years for an alternative press magazine that specialized in Asian-Canadian literature, arts and social issues. Lots of work, some brilliant people and we had paid subscription mailing list of 300 from all over North America. Then volunteered for a non-profit on their national board plus fundraising, helping transcribe oral interviews for a book on experiences of some women. Organization was on race relations, human rights and immigrant service matters.

In between here and there, were the near obligatory volunteer work for professional associations that was more career/work-related. Editor of newsletter, conference papers, etc.

Then for personal interest volunteering...totally switched to cycling. ..which wasn't totally that far-removed, given the "lower" status of cycling in the big transportation world.

What I learned most was from working with some of the other volunteers in all of these organizations. Just incredible and inspiring. Unbelievable how much energy and time some folks will give.

[badger]

I've been volunteering at the SPCA hospital for 10 years now. I got all my animals there, and I'm currently fostering a really old yorkie for the week until his cruelty investigation finishes. The organization may have some flaws, but the people there are top-notch.

I used to also volunteer at the Vancouver Aquarium and got to do such cool things like feeding the otters and the tropical fishes. It was oh-so-fun, but i just couldn't fit it around my schedule any longer so I had to say good-bye after almost 10 years.

[smilingcat]

I've been fostering bottle fed kittens for the last ?? years. This year with the econmy the way it is, we haven't been able to adopt out the kittens. Now they are more like young adult cats.

Each litter of kittens are so different. This litter has been the healthiest bunch, but emotionally, they are the worst at the adoption. Maybe they talked amongst themselves and realized in how not to be adopted out.

I wish they find a home! I love them dearly but it just isn't fair for them to share me with 7 other cats in my house. 4 of the permanent cats have long term medical needs and we just didn't feel right to adopt out a cat who needed constant care so we kept them.

Anyway, I'm bit sad right now... This batch of kittens for whatever reason, likes to stampede and I really mean stampede, something spooks them out and they all patch out!! In the process tonight, one of them destroyed one piece of pottery in my collection. Its not so much the $ but rather, the beauty of the piece and everything else about it was shattered. I can't blame the kittens. They do what kittens do you know... Still... two beautiful pieces in two month is bit hard to swallow.

On a brighter note, getting more involved with cycling advocacy and working with the city. Today, attended an all day conferenece in downtown LA to learn more about public policy, advocacy, organizing... I had bit of trepidation about the conference but it was WELL WORTH IT. Maybe I'll get more involved with Hermosa Beach bike master plan (in works). Start our version of car free Friday. And I hope to be involved in the actual planning and implementation of the bike master plan. It is really sad that Hermosa Beach has ONLY ONE share bike path. Just one. There just isn't any excuses. Weather here is so perfect. People are into outdoors stuff yet only one shared bike path. And the bike path doesn't even connect into bike path from other cities. People in this city are literally hostile toward the cyclists. So we shall see.

Learned that Portland is far more progressive than LA. What a cool town!!! SF, Berkley, PaloAlto were all pretty progressive but nothing like Portland. I would like to see Hermosa Beach be like Portland Ore. To the ladies up there, your town rocks!!

I'm also involved with Hermosa Beach Amature Radio club (for disaster communication). I would be just a radio operator in case of emergency. Don't shoot the messenger

Lastly, I will be getting involved with the school board. I don't have kids but education ranks fairly high on my life priorities. I don't want to see teachers pay being cut. I don't want to see music, art, science/math being cut either. The residents in my city needs to be made aware of the importance and how it affects property value. I would like to see some support from local hi-tech companies. They could sponsor some programs to help with the cost. Some science experiments can be made real cheap and it would be fun. Art supplies can be very cheap too. Hand built pottery requires no expensive tools or skills. Pastels can be had cheap. ask for donations from local art supply stores...

My plate is pretty full .

Oh I did participate in environmental clean up of our beaches. That was sponsored by Heal the Bay.

There are other things I like to do but no time so I just donate Xmas gifts for the Christmas wishing tree, donate money for other causes. I still would like to take part in Habitat for Humanity house building. Wouldn't that be cool.

I do all this because I can and I like doing it. If you can't do it that's okay too. Not everyone has the time nor the energy. If I had children of my own, I don't think I could do all this, be the breadwinner, take care of the house, cabbie for the kids, coach for the kids, be a cook for the kids...

smilingcat

[Trekhawk]

Telecross with the Red Cross for four years before I went to live in the USA.
Signed up to start again now I am back in Aust.

What did I get out of it? I got to share a little time (over the phone) with some wonderful people each morning that I would never have met otherwise.

Its a great service. Here is the blurb from the NSW division that I volunteered with for the first four years.
http://www.redcross.org.au/nsw/commu..._telecross.htm

[Selkie]

I used to volunteer as a teaching assistant with our County's ESL program. I really enjoyed it, but unfortunately, work/home put too many demands on my time to continue with it.

I'm going to try to volunteer again, once I can find a work assignment closer to home (the commute eats more than an hour of "me" time a day). I'm thinking about getting one or both of my goldens involved as a therapy dog. They both would be marvelous at it, once I teach them better manners!

[maillotpois]

We've been coaching for Team in Training since 2001. I've been involved with TNT at various levels since 1999. It's a big time commitment and TNT provides training for its coaches, so they take it all as seriously as we do. For the centuries we coached it was 1/2 day to 3/4 day every other Saturday for 5 months. Now that we coach Death Ride (since 2006) it's a 6 month training and the long rides pretty much eat up our entire Saturday. Plus since I'm the organizational/training wing of it, the ride training plan, ride plans, working with other volunteers, interaction with TNT adds probably 2 - 3 hours a week on top of the coaching end of it and begins about 6 - 8 weeks before our first ride. This year I am in charge of 2 combined teams which stretch out across the Bay Area. I think I have everyone's name down.

It's a lot of fun and I love seeing people do something new that they never thought they could do before.

I've also been on legal association boards and volunteer time to court alternative dispute resolution programs as part of my job. But the cycling volunteering is more fun.

I think it's really important, especially in this time of relative crisis, that we pull together and do SOMETHING beyond that for which we get money, to make our world just a bit better.

[andtckrtoo]

I volunteered to help with Hurricane Katrina with the Red Cross. That was an experience. I spent 10 days in Louisiana at a shelter with people from the Lower 9th Ward. I learned so much about the human spirit (both the good and the bad). It was simply amazing.

I also have done Search and Rescue work with the local Sheriff's office and trained a search dog (Tucker, where my user name - And Tucker Too - comes from). I quit when Tucker was struck by a car. I didn't have the heart to continue with him gone. He was a very special dog.

Now I just raise funds for cancer awareness with my annual ride and through other activities.

[derailed]

I spend time as a docent at a museum. It's very rewarding to have people come in to share their memories from childhood with us and with their families. I feel that my time there has given me a real connection with the community.

[Eden]

I've been volunteering with our local Humane Society for about 2.5 years now. Volunteers come and go so much in the program that I work in, that I am a really long timer....

We do lots of little things with the team too - we have an Adopt - a - Road, we help the local cycling club with teach children to ride days, staff booths for the MS Society.

[Tuckervill]

My working life was pretty time consuming, 50 and 60 hour weeks were common, so by the time I took care of 2 kids, hubby, and house there was nothing left. One of my goals when I retired was to find something I could do as a volunteer to give back for all those years of just working. I had considered both MassHort and New England Wildflower Society, but then after I built my first bike and realized how empowering that was, and what a sense of accomplishment it gave me, I knew I wanted to do something with kids and cycling. For me Bikes-not-Bombs was the answer. I'm about to start my second session as an adult volunteer in the earn-a-bike program for 12 to 18 year old boys and girls from inner-city Boston. I get a tremendous kick out of it, seeing the kids doing something they didn't think they could do, playing ice-breaker games with them, having them ask me if it would be OK to call me "Miss Jean", going on rides with them, even nagging them to check their bike before riding. I feel like I'm helping the individual kids as well as the biking community. In addition to the earn-a-bike program I've been going in one night a week to help get bikes ready to ship to Central America or Africa to the international programs. Some will be turned into water-pumps, corn mills, or power blenders used to process other crops. Others become transportation for kids to go to school or people to get to jobs. This feels so good I think I ought to pay them for the privilege of doing it.

Can you tell me more about earn-a-bike? How do they earn it?

Thanks!
Karen

[nancielle]

Been volunteering for various things since high school. At that time the high school I attended had a Community Service program that juniors and seniors participated in.

Now I volunteer with a local AIDS program and also do community work around chemical dependency recovery.