Volunteering

[simba928]

I volunteer with my local fire department at their fish fries. I also work their annual car cruise, which is one of the largest in the area. Honestly, the fish fries are miserable to work. I wait tables, usually with a bunch of women from the ladies auxilary that I'm pretty sure forget they have been out of high school for 50 years. I do LOVE most of the guys in the fire department and some of the women that work that aren't in the ladies auxilary. I only continue doing it because (A) my dad is a firefighter and (B) the people that I do like are so awesome and so much fun and I always have someone to vent to when the not so fun people are being nasty.

I also used to volunteer at a local humane society. That started as a class project and I continued volunteering after my hours were done. I LOVED it there. Everyone was wonderful and I always looked forward to going. I now work there and LOVE every second of it. We use volunteers on a daily basis and LOVE the ones that that are devoted and will come and do anything that needs done. We really need reliable people that will come. We do not expect our volunteers to come every single Saturday or whatever. We appreciate whatever time you can give us. We just ask that if you can't come in one day, be up front about it. I don't know how it is where you are volunteering, but with us we only have a limited number of volunteers we can have at a time. If you know that you will only be able to come in every other Saturday but you sign up for every Saturday, you are taking up a space for someone that can actually be there. KWIM? I think whatever time you can give will be greatly appreciated (the volunteers that come in to help me make my job 3385643823047386 times easier!) as long as you are honest and up front about how much time that is.

 

[kacaju]

I am a huge 4-H vounteer. I bleed green!! I can be found at our 4-H center anywhere from 2-5 nights a week.
I also volunteer to go to nursing homes and hospitals with my dog for Pet Therapy.
My husband and I also volunteer on the Pre Cana team at our Church.

 

[java]

Right now I am volunteering 2 times a month for 3 hours at a time in my son's 1st grade class.
I also volunteer for my daughter's 7th grade class- class mom and I run the 3 parties they have for the year.

I was thinking of driving for Meals on Wheels. I saw a sign today and that kind of spoke to me. My problem is that I have a preschooler and am not sure the schedule can work with me. I suppose I should give them a call.

 

[Sarah_Rose]

Does the organization not specify how often they need volunteers? Or have a place to fill in how often (once a week, once a month, once a year, etc.) that you'd want to volunteer?

I'm not working right now (due to work visa issues - we have to wait for DH to get his green card (we're Canadian) before I can work again) so I jokingly refer to myself as a "professional volunteer". My big passion is the Arthritis Foundation and I volunteer for them 12-15 hours a week, helping to plan fundraising events. As an office volunteer, I specify when I am available and for how many hours, and we work around that. The AF also has event volunteers who commit to a certain day (such as the 5K's or silent auctions) and just for that event.

My other big volunteer project is with Girls on the Run. I am a head coach and they specify that I need to be there on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:30-5:00 for each practice, as well as meetings and the final 5K day. However, GOTR also has opportunities for "running buddies" and 5K volunteers, who are only needed the day of the 5K.

I also volunteer at a local museum on Friday afternoons, and will not commit to more than that at this time. DH and I also help clean up the National Park trails on "trail days" each year - that's only one or two days a year, though.

See where I'm going? Each volunteer organization needs constant support that can put in a set number of hours a week or month, but also occasional volunteer help for special events or special committees, etc. It should be pretty easy to figure out what you're getting yourself into from the get-go. If it looks like it's going to be too many hours for you, ask what other opportunities they have available.

I hope you have a great time volunteering!

 

[Katy Belle]

My volunteering is down a bit this year. Perhaps because me children are getting older!

I am Homeroom Mom for my 4th Graders Class. I facilitate two "book club groups" in his class once a week. I am the Den Leader for the Webelo I, cub scout den.

In the past I've helped a lot with church...nursery, on education committee, meals committee, etc. For about 2 years I visited new moms in the hospital and gave them info on how to get help in the area, WIC, etc, and genral baby care advice.

I look forward to finding something good to do as my school jobs disappear!

My DH is Chaiman of the School Board- a time consuming volunteer job, and Assistant Boy Scout Leader.

Good luck on finding a good fit with your schedule!

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

I think I was born with the volunteer gene. Can't keep my darn hand down whenever someone asks, "Who can >> insert need here <<"

I used to be a candy striper in my teens. I volunteered in the school PTO as secretary & then president for 8 years. Have been a lector at our church since '99, and have been the co-chair for the past 10 years. I am on the executive committee for our annual parish festival for over 10 years, and have been on a counting team there for over 11 years, and captain of a team for the past 10. I tend to volunteer a lot at our church, also with bake sales, raffle sales, website, etc. I also volunteered with reading for the blind for awhile, but have stopped that for now. I have just started taking communion to those who are home-bound.

It feels good to help others.

I'd just say make sure that whatever you do is something you enjoy doing, and don't burn yourself out.

 

[aprilgail2]

I work a full time job and a part time seasonal job but I also volunteer fo rthe PTA, I am a Girl Scout leader and volunteer for a local childrens foundation that also runs a big toy drive at Christmas. Every Sat and Sun are taken up with the toy drive from Thanksgiving-Christmas and we do other numerous events throughout the year. I started working for them the year my godson died- they had taken care of him one christmas with a wish and he wanted to work with them when he got better, he never got better so someone had to take his place.

 

[ontariomonkey]

I do one hour a week of in-school mentoring with Big Brothers Big Sisters.

 

[hrh_disney_queen]

I go in to my DS10's school media center and shelve books one day a week for an hour or so. It's not much, but I am very much appreciated.

 

[Simba's Mom]

I volunteer weekly at Ronald McDonald House, the "home away from home" for the families of children in the hospital. Thirty years ago, I had a son who spent a month in a hospital 75 miles from our home. At the time, RMH was just beginning, and there wasn't one near the hospital, so I had to drive 150 miles round trip (in wintertime in New England) every day, alone. At the time, I said to myself that if I was ever able to, I'd volunteer at RMH because I knew what a valuable service they provide to families.

 

[southtexasmom]

I volunteer at a local intake center for children entering the foster care system 2 days a week for 4 hrs at a time and I organize all the holiday parties for the center, I've done this for 9 years. The center is ran by a group of Nuns, sometimes they just need me to rock a baby, other times I'm making beds, sometimes I clean bathrooms.

I also volunteer at my children's schools, sometimes in their classrooms, sometimes the lunch room, most often the library.