To keep volunteering or to quit?

[shootingstar]

My current job takes a lot of emotional strength, and part of my self care is being selfish with how I spend my time. That means taking lots of time for fitness/cycling, being with my DH and friends, and just overall not doing anything else that's a drain on my energy..

Your job how you give is important.

Part of my problem right now, is living in a city where I don't feel in synch but know that I might be stereotyping the general populace. I live in a city where the most caring, outspoken organizations on local social justice matters are much smaller and their public "voice" is more muted. Probably because less volunteers, locals more deeply emeshed with business (for money) or just...burnt out/don't have energy to speak out publicly. Living out in the prairies is different from Toronto or Vancouver.

I've never been part of volunteer organizations where we worried much about food. (Just strike a deal with a local Chinese big restaurant and throw the fundraiser there. ) It was more on govn't policy, our positions to govn't and what to present to govn't as part of a non-profit organization on social justice matters, building coalitions with other like-oriented organizations -- OR publishing/in the arts that had a non-mainstream voice/vision (if it wasn't cycling).

LIke Rebecca, I am at my best when I'm "mission" driven for volunteer work... I certainly have learned so much from other incredible volunteers, especially those who will speak out on behalf for the organization and for the organization's "clients".

I feel for you laura. There is fatigue and above all, some sadness. That's how I felt when we had to dissolve the women's cycling group in Toronto at that time.

And now I realize in my dim memory, that I also was passionately involved in that alternative magazine, we also had to put the magazine to bed because of lack of new volunteer blood to take up the torch. We had 300+ paid subscribers to our magazine(!, including universities) across North America. It was such a sad feeling to " bury" this magazine and its voice.

But now, just discovered another volunteer has recently put into wiki about the magazine: http://www.asiancanadianwiki.org/w/Asianadian Some people even scanned and .pdf'd all the issues! So glad someone did this 2 decades later..

So I wrote a note to my writer-niece....wanted her to know someone else in the family did actively support literary efforts...

Just sayin' this so that people know that volunteer work given in passion, may unknowingly inspire ..the next generation. More than you realize.