Volunteering

[cypher1]

Just curious how many of you volunteer your time? And why did you pick that specific charity or organization?

[disneysteve]

Just curious how many of you volunteer your time? And why did you pick that specific charity or organization?

All 3 of us do a great deal of volunteer work. For my wife and I, the majority of our volunteer time is devoted to our synagogue. I've been on the Board of Trustees for about 10 years and served as President from 2012-2014. June 30, I'll be stepping down for a much-needed break but I know my participation will continue just not at the Board level.

My wife is a past Board member, a past President of the Sisterhood, and currently serves on a couple of committees.

Our daughter was very active with the youth group and served on their Board for several years. Now that she's in college, she joined Alpha Phi Omega, a national co-ed service fraternity which does all types of community service work.

My wife and I are involved with a group that does a lot of fundraising for Give Kids the World Village in Orlando. The 3 of us have also personally volunteered at the village when we've been in Florida a couple of times.

[cypher1]

That's great to hear DS! I haven't really volunteered since my eagle scout project in HS, but lately have been thinking about how I manage my time and donating. I could donate money to charity, but I feel writing a check is the simple route, instead of investing more time to give back to the community.

[MonkeyMama]

I have not volunteered since I have had children. I work full-time and have a full plate. Of course, that by itself might not be enough for me, but since my spouse has been home with the kids he has really shouldered the volunteer load. I feel like he has the time and we do more than our fair share.

Historically I have primarily volunteered with animals and is what I am considering getting back into with older kids. They are getting to an age where we can volunteer at the shelter together. In the past I have also rehabilitated wildlife.

My spouse volunteers at the public TV station because that's his "thing" and he had the right skills and experience. He volunteers a lot of hours at our kids' public school and in relation to that volunteers at Scholastic in order to earn huge amounts of books for our kids' school.

My spouse did find a job a few months ago and is still doing the TV volunteering but has let a lot of the other stuff go due to time constraints (and also the volunteering isn't asked for as much in the classroom, with older kids). In turn, it's the first time in our lives that we probably feel we really have some money to give. This is probably a more 50/50 giving time/cash phase in our life.

[ua_guy]

Volunteering comes and goes for me. I used to volunteer a lot, traveled as part of mission trips and did work in Mexico, and for the Apache tribe in Arizona, and lots of work locally. Then I became non-religious, later volunteering with the local fire department for some years, starting as an EMT, later a fully fledged firefighter. I also used to be a mentor/tutor for students with learning disabilities.

I haven't done a lot lately. Mostly I've kept to myself, but have transitioned to giving money instead of time in recent years. Mostly I haven't found an organization that feels like a good fit for me in a while.

[FLA]

I can't really volunteer right now but I always thought when/if I got better, I would go back to Hospice and be a volunteer. However, if I am that well, I would go back to work there instead.

When I can volunteer, I realized that I actually kind of want to take a break from patients and families needing me and dealing with all that sadness, it's a lot to carry. And I love dogs so I thought when my older dog passes, I would foster a dog. However, the odds of me ever giving that dog back are slim, I am a pushover in terms of training (my dogs are allowed on furniture and beds) and eventually I'd have more dogs than I want.

So then I heard about Fospice, Hospice for dogs. They get cared for in a loving home through their illness and death. That is perfect for my skill set and I won't be at risk of adopting too many dogs. The major shelters here do not do it. But then my dad's physical therapist told me she does it through several rescue groups, she had 12 Fospice dogs at the time at her home! But with the rescue groups, you shoulder all the costs of treatment. The program I read about, the shelter paid the vet bills, you just provided care. I'm not in a position to take on the vet bills unfortunately.

So I figure when the time is right, I will approach the shelters, write up a proposal on Fospice and encourage them to let me try it with them saddling the bills. Worth a shot. We do have one no kill shelter about an hour away, the may be interested because they don't just immediately put sick dogs down.

I have to say it feels very weird to not be taking care of other people, to not be volunteering like I thought I would

[disneysteve]

n HS, but lately have been thinking about how I manage my time and donating. I could donate money to charity, but I feel writing a check is the simple route, instead of investing more time to give back to the community.

As an active volunteer and leader of a charitable group, I will say that we need both time and money. If we have a ton of volunteers and no funds, we can't do anything. If we have a ton of money and no volunteers, we can't do much either. So don't feel bad about "only" giving money if that's what works for you right now.

[Reece102]

I don't as I am too busy working during the week. But my grandma does some volunteering at a dog shelter

[LivingAlmostLarge]

I volunteer once a month with a group that throws birthday parties for kids in shelters. I do it because I can take my 5 and 3 year old and teach them about those less fortunate than them. I do give donations money and stuff to different organizations and I buy ice cream and cakes for this organization. I also used to do the food bank with the kids. They are getting it. I feel like we have too much and so they have to understand that we are very privileged unlike so many others.

[dawnwes]

We do quite a bit:

Homeless home through our church
I work with our youth group
DH teaches golf to inner city kids
DH helps runs charity golf tournaments
Middle son has gone to Mexico a couple of times to help in an orphanage.
Delivering Christmas presents to children of inmates


My parents entire lives were volunteer based. It is what I grew up with.

[amastewa93]

I love volunteering (I always said if I won the lottery that is how I'd spend my time). I used to volunteer all of the time when we lived in Charlotte (Special Olympics, Baseball for the Blind, Battered Women's Shelters, Habitat for Humanity, etc), however, since we moved (480 miles away) I am having a hard time finding volunteer opportunities.

[SA-guy]

I volunteer and am a member of my local Neighborhood Watch in Cape Town, South Africa. I give up approximately 20 hours a month of my free time (usually on weekends) and cover the costs of my petrol / gas as well.

Why do I do it? Well, to help reduce crime of course, but also crime plays a huge role in the value of your property - if crime levels spike, your property values fall.