The Art of Volunteering

As I mentioned before, I volunteer at two places in between working and applying for jobs.  Since it's something I personally enjoy, I decided to explain the benefits of volunteering for those who don't (and why you should volunteer yourself if you have the time).


First a little history on my volunteering resume (feel free to skip because it's long):
I started volunteering when I was 14, I believe.  Maybe 15.  It was at a youth football organization in my hometown.  I started out by helping out in the concession stand.  Sometimes I would take money and call out orders to those at the grill, sometimes I would have to add up $1 worth of candy to little kids.  And sometimes I would go out on the field to sell 50/50 tickets during the games.  Suffice it to say, I liked it.  It may be because my grandfather was one of the people who had started the organization years ago (and who is no longer with us).  It may be because my parents also volunteered there.  It may be because since I was a kid, if anyone had a complaint, they weren't going to say it to me (oh how i wish that's how pharmacy customers would be like).

Anyways, around that time, I also was selected to be on my city's youth court which I did through senior year of high school.  I also went from concession stand volunteer to assistant coach for one of the cheer squads in which my mom was the head coach. Yes, I was an assistant cheer coach but don't think I wasn't sarcastic during it.  Added bonus: I was the "mean coach" so the 20+ 6-8 year old girls would always listen to me.  Wow, I was in charge of that many kids while I was 17ish and the other two coaches couldn't make it.  That experience will be a post all in of it's own later.  Especially since the only reason I think my mom asked me to do it was because she couldn't come to the first hour of the very first practice, leaving me alone with all of them.
Anyways, that progressed to me attending the monthly/bimonthly evening meetings and eventually being elected to be on the Board of Directors within this organization.  I was for a year and declined the second nomination due to not knowing if I would be living there the following year.

I left my hometown and began grad school 1,000 miles away from home.  My first year of grad school, I didn't volunteer anywhere.  Partly because I was in a new city and wouldn't have known where to begin.  It certainly wasn't because I was working two jobs and sincerely thought I was going to die of stress my second semester.  Anyways, that summer I decided to get a cat.  Found a shelter online and filled out an application for adoption.  Fast-forward two months.  I had the cat for a couple months and decided "you know what? I'm going to volunteer there."  I mean, how could I not? I get to play with cats and kittens!  Well, I'm still volunteering there (and picked up a few shifts which I think inspired the timing of this post) as well as at a museum.  That's right a museum.  A natural history museum even.




Okay, so why volunteer?  I mean, it's time you could be spending the time to do other things.  Well, here is my reasoning (besides to typical "it's rewarding" response):

1. It gives you the chance to do something you are interested in.

• Let's say you're a computer programmer.  I'm not, but I assume you sit in front of a computer all day doing computer programming things.  Now, imagine that in the evenings/weekends you can let your inner child loose and play at the playground.  With children by volunteering at a boys and girls club.  Wouldn't you do it?
• Or even, you love animals but travel a lot or don't have time to have a pet.  But a few hours every week, you get to see a dogs face light up every time you walk into a shelter.

2. It gives you something to do if you get bored easily.

• Everyday: you get up, you go to work, you come home, you watch t.v., and you go to bed (and yes I stole that from Rocko's Modern Life).  Can get boring after a while I bet.  But everyone once in a while, you can mix it up by coaching a youth baseball team every summer.

3. You meet people.

• You are going to meet other people who volunteer at the same place you do.  Which can lead to lifelong friendships.  Some of my closest friends, I met through volunteering.  And don't think that age is a factor.  I've made friends with people of various ages (mostly older due to me only being in my mid-20s).
• This is definitely comforting when you're in a new city and don't know anyone.  Or when all your friends move like most of mine did after graduation.

4. You learn new skills.

• You may not even think about it but here are some examples from my experiences:
• Patience.  You HAVE to with 20 kids.
• Leadership - Board of Directors, it goes without saying
• Communication  - All of my volunteer work deals with people on some level

5. You become known in the community.

• An awesome volunteer and the youth football organization past away from cancer a few months ago.  He was active not only there, but elsewhere as well.  People knew him in our community.  He was great with children and easy to get along with (though he used to always call me Casper).  When he was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer, there were many people from our organization willing to provide support for the family.  Which also goes to show how close people within an organization can get.

6. A lot of organizations will organize some sort of event for it's volunteers

• They know that it is a great time commitment on your part.  And they acknowledge their appreciation in a variety of ways.  I've been able to go to banquets for free, waived admissions to the museum, plenty of pizza parties, discounts, and even a scholarship. 

I know this list could be longer but those are the ones that come to mind immediately for me.  If you have your own reasoning: feel free to comment below.