Volunteer Work

ohwhynot

Do you do it?  What kind of volunteering do you do?  How often? 

I've volunteered kind of off and on at different things for most of my adult life.  H and I are looking for something to do with the kids, too, but most places only want adults (some will accept teens, but not kids as young as mine).  We've patched a few things together over the last month or so, but we're still looking for something permanent.  Any ideas?

Did your parents instill a sense that volunteering was important when you were young? 

wadingmoose

I volunteer with the humane society in my city as well as Habitat for Humanity. 

I'm a regular with the humane society and so far have only worked one day with H4H, but I enjoyed it a LOT and fully plan to go  again.

missy68

I wish you could volunteer with infants at the hospitals, but I suspect you cannot do this anymore. If so, I'd be on it. That's something I've always wanted to do.

L-Bride

I volunteer at the animal shelter in my area but I have to admit it's been months since I've been. I feel awful about it but am definitely going to go back in a month twice a week again after the wedding and honeymoon. I've always done extra little "fundraisers" for the animal shelters in my area ever since I was little. My friend and I used to set up lemonade stands and give the $5 we made to the animals shelters. My parents never made me do any of that stuff, I just wanted to.

wadingmoose

Also, it's funny, my family never talked about volunteering to us, but I realize now that they do a LOT of it.

Mom used to be on all kinds of volunteer committees.  I swear, it was the SAHMs that kept town events running back home.  Everything from the spring rodeo to the fall fair were run by committees of volunteers.  My dad was on the committee for the new senior's center they just built and he's also on the rural council - which isn't volunteer technically, but the pay is so low that it might as well be

kikibaby

My dad was big on volunteering, so I've done it most of my life.  In college, I was in a community service group and volunteered around 100 hours/year.  Now, I just do stuff when I have time, nothing on-going.  My last gig was for an event for the Dumb Friends League. 

You may have trouble finding stuff to do with young kids due to liability issues. 

ohwhynot

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_volunteer-work?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:8b3b2f2d-d971-457f-b7b1-9554ec32df3dPost:e0f0fa17-8a1a-4371-8f5a-d11f1cc40d77">Re: Volunteer Work</a>:
[QUOTE]I wish you could volunteer with infants at the hospitals, but I suspect you cannot do this anymore. If so, I'd be on it. That's something I've always wanted to do.
Posted by missy68[/QUOTE]

I did that in law school!  It was awesome - I am certain it was more soothing and therapeutic for me than it was for the infants.  My MIL does that now, in her town.  It's not something we can do with the kids, though. 

H and I go every other week to a food pantry (the weeks the kids are with their Dad).  The kids are allowed to come, and we tried that once, but there's really nothing for them to do, so they just stand around.  The Humane Shelter won't allow any more kids (they have youth volunteer opportunities, but they're full), and the whole family worked a food tent at a fair over the weekend to raise $$ for our local community center.  The community center doesn't use volunteers except for special events. 

It's kind of frustrating. 

arbolita

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_volunteer-work?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:8b3b2f2d-d971-457f-b7b1-9554ec32df3dPost:340ad4b2-fc2b-42bd-9c07-d48e25551f80">Volunteer Work</a>:
[QUOTE]Did your parents instill a sense that volunteering was important when you were young? 
Posted by ohwhynot[/QUOTE]


My mom worked for a non-profit, so I grew up volunteering.  I actually wound up working for the same organization for several years out of high school, and I plan to go back to working for a non-profit when I take my next job.

LesPaul

My employer is big on volunteering.  We have built 4 houses with Habitat for Humanity, and we can volunteer on workdays without taking PTO.  We support the local food bank, volunteering two Saturdays a month to sort food.  And we planted trees on Earth Day, and have another trailbuilding day scheduled in September at a National Forest site.  We also do a Christmas tree for the Senior Services agency, Toys for Tots, and twice a month we have a crew at the soup kitchen serving lunch.  And - they match donations we make to any 501(c)3 organization on our own.

ohwhynot

Moose, what kind of things do you do with H4H? 

BTW, I am glad you're posting a wedding picture as your sig - you two look so lovely!

sep72fendr

When I was in college I did semester projects for volunteering with my staff. Every semester we would do a different Community Service or Volunteer project such as helping out at a food pantry during Thanksgiving, building a handicap ramp for a church, working with habitat for humanity, making care packages for soldiers overseas. One way that I would love to get involved again would be to join Junior League in my city once I re-locate south next year. They are always doing philanthropic things and events for the city.

pinkpinot

I volunteer at my local animal shelter but I don't know if it's healthy for me to keep doing it.  I get really sad & upset when I see how people treat their pets or when we come in and find animals just dumped on the door step.  It's hard to keep your spirits up.  I've always had a really sensitive spot in my heart for animalsand I can't put my emotions aside sometimes and I get emotionally caught up in everything.  Also the shelter is almost out of money and might close down because we are no kill and it's very expensive to operate day to day.  If that happens I know they will transport the remaining animals to other shelters that will likely euthanize them and I can't think about it.  

vallyhoo

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_volunteer-work?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:8b3b2f2d-d971-457f-b7b1-9554ec32df3dPost:f7f2a1b0-c7ba-49ab-a8bb-64ce10410840">Re: Volunteer Work</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Volunteer Work : <strong>My mom worked for a non-profit, so I grew up volunteering.  I actually wound up working for the same organization for several years out of high school,</strong> and I plan to go back to working for a non-profit when I take my next job.
Posted by arbolita[/QUOTE]

Ditto most of that.

OWN - I didn't know you went to law school!

mandysmear

My parents never tried to teach us volunteering was important.  My dad worked so much I had friends that didn't think I had a dad.  My mom also was a working mother.  So, I doubt she had the time between dance, hockey, football for 3 children. 

I haven't volunteered in a long time.  The last time I drove around all the prostitute strolls of the city and handed out condoms and medical packets of lube, water, juice, granola bars, etc.  There's a program that does it in my city and they like to have volunteers - the people who actually work for the organization counsel the prostitutes if need be.  The volunteers pass the stuff out.  Very fulfilling. 

I wouldn't mind helping with the humane society.  It'd have to be on the weekends because it's so far from my house, I wouldn't make it there in the evenings.

Anysunrise

In order to graduate high school here, you need 40 hours of community service. I volunteered at the Gala my mom's boss had each year (said boss was the founder of a brain cancer charity, as that was what her husband died from).

I dunno if you can really call handing out pamphlets for an hour and then spending the night with your friends at the open bar volunteering though.

mandapanda78

When I lived in Charleston I was a host for Dining with Friends every year. I know other cities do it, but in case you're not familiar it's a wonderful concept: people across the cities host dinner parties in their own home at the same time/date, guests bring donations for local AIDS hospice, all the dinner parties meet at the end of the evening for a dessert and champagne reception. 

mkrupar

In high school the two rival high schools would get a bunch of us together, throw us on busses, and send us out to rake leaves in the neighborhood. We always had a great time.

In college we had to complete 20 hours of community service for a leadership class. I volunteered with Habitat for Humanity, and liked it so much I kept going back even after I had completed my hours. I helped my previous job organize a day for the employees to volunteer at the site. I love doing that because you get to learn so many different things. I've installed roofs, insulation, framed houses, painted, securedt cross beams for an attic. There's always something different to do there.

squirrly

In Louisville, my volleyball coaching darn near qualified.  I got a pay check, but it was miniscule, and I gave every penny of it back with stuff I bought for the team out of pocket.  I also put in hundreds of hours beyond what I was paid to do. 

I did a bunch of different stuff in college - whatever came along.  And after, I volunteered as an advisor for my sorority.  I put in time taking care of a collegiate chapter (later a half dozen chapters), but also with them on philanthropic endeavors that the undergraduate members participated in as well.

missy68

It was volunteer work, but part of my job, too. After Hurricane Andrew, I went to Dade City and helped repaint/clean up an elementary school and rebuild a park. This was part of the United Way "kickoff," but we worked our asses off.

We also worked and played with several of the kids living in tent city.

I've also worked with Best Buddies, the charity founded by Anthony Shriver, participated in Special Olympics (in High School and as an adult - that was actually a lot of fun).

My grandparents were Rotarians and Rotary-Anns, and my dad was in Rotary. My other grandfather was a Mason. All were very community-involved. My mom was always a Scouting volunteer. My brother served on the board of the local Greyhound Rescue Group, and is now in Rotary as well. So yeah, we were led by example.

georgia_bride09

I volunteered more in college, when it was sort of a group thing- we did H4H and we also did the Best Buddies program for about a year, where you're paired with a mentally handicapped adult and have set times to hang out and do activities. I'd love to volunteer at our shelter, but with my allergies, it isn't feasible. I can definitely donate blankets and stuff though, so I might look into that.

One of my BFF's worked for a non-profit for a while and I'd volunteer with them on occasion, but she doesn't work there anymore, so I don't really have a pipeline for events like I did before.

There's a website for our county listing all the volunteering opportunities, but of course it's blocked at work, so anytime I'm thinking about it, I don't have access, and when I do have access at home, I'm not thinking about it.

I definitely want to instill a sense of philanthropy in my {future} children, so I would definitely like to get in the habit of volunteering more so it seems natural to my kids, as opposed to something forced upon them. Note to self: look at website at home tonight.

wadingmoose

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_volunteer-work?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:8b3b2f2d-d971-457f-b7b1-9554ec32df3dPost:0397c0ee-781b-42cc-8667-3f639fec4b95">Re: Volunteer Work</a>:
[QUOTE]Moose, what kind of things do you do with H4H?  BTW, I am glad you're posting a wedding picture as your sig - you two look so lovely!
Posted by ohwhynot[/QUOTE]


Thanks!

I've only gone the one day.  Basically you do whatever they're doing that day.  We got to reinforce the floor trusses which was cool.  I was the only one in our group not afraid of power tools so I got to use the miter saw all day which was fun.  We also built our scaffolding and other people in the group were up on scaffolding hammering the boards into place.  They have a "crew chief" who supervises everything that gets done.

It was weird for me because I'm really not comfortable with telling people what to do, but since I was measuring and cutting, I had to make sure people knew where the boards went and how they were to be placed which was a struggle.  Thankfully everyone was patient and cool about it.

strlzfan11

I volunteer as a regional and national officer for a Christian organization I was involved in as undergrad.  My regional responsibilities are very similiar to squirrly's volunteer work with her sorority.  I edit the national magazine which takes up time, but it doesn't really give me any hands-on work with the actual college students.

When I was an undergrad and even some afterwards I used to go with my Grandma when she volunteered at Meals on Wheels.  We helped the other volunteers prepare the meals, package them up and prepare them to be delivered.  It was a lot of fun and it gave me some great quality time with Grandma.

september's bride

I volunteered for 5 years with Girl Guides of Canada as a unit leader. I absolutely loved  it and only stopped when the unit folded due to a lack of leaders to run it. My dad coached hockey for years, and I grew up knowing that he had made a difference in kids' lives, and I wanted to do the same.

I think once I get situated in my new job, I'll start volunteering with them again.

ehathewa

How old are your kids? 

As kids we did park clean-up volunteering, or planting trees on arbor day.  You can probably do nursing home or senior center visits (playing board games or Wii) with your kids.  Handing out water at a rest stop durring a charity bike or foot race might also be family friendly. 

Getting your kids involved with a service organization like Girl Scouts or Boy Scouts would be a good way to encourage service. 

We voluteer for about a dozen organizations every year.  Public television is one of our favorites.  We find many opportunities on www.volunteeryourtime.org and are also a part of a volunteer group from Madison, WI (private message me if you want some more info). 

C*Mia

In high school I was part of Key club (part of kiwanis) so I did a lot of volunteering there mainly nursing homes and soup kitchens and various fundraising events.
College I had a community service scholarship which led me to work for Red Cross (office work mostly and installing lifelines), PBS (I have a media/PR background), Habitat (went to hilton head SC and FL), various soup kitchens on the east coast and more! Racked up about 1000 hours a year for four years.

Now I mainly try to donate when I can like clothing and such thats a good activity for kids. Even fundraising through haveing a garage sale. There are various organizations that take quilts or crafts like nursing homes or project elmo takes blankets for kids.

I never grew up with volunteering I kind of fell into it. There are lots of projects to get them started

ehathewa

Oh - a great project for kids:  Halloween food drive.  I organized one in high school, but could be done with younger kids. 

0.  Optional - Work with food shelf to determine any areas that they need help in (protiens, grains, personal care, etc). 
1.  A few days before Halloween hand out flyers on your street letting people know you will be trick-or-treating for canned goods instead of candy. 
2.  Go trick or treating with a wagon (or have a parent in the minivan) and collect canned food and tons of candy. 
3.  Drop off food at food shelf the next day. 
4.  Have that warm fuzzy feeling

jmkes

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_volunteer-work?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:8b3b2f2d-d971-457f-b7b1-9554ec32df3dPost:e0f0fa17-8a1a-4371-8f5a-d11f1cc40d77">Re: Volunteer Work</a>:
[QUOTE]I wish you could volunteer with infants at the hospitals, but I suspect you cannot do this anymore. If so, I'd be on it. That's something I've always wanted to do.
Posted by missy68[/QUOTE]

missy - I don't know about Iowa, but I work at a major children's hospital in Texas and we have volunteers.  We could always use more.  You should call a local hospital and ask if they have volunteers for NICU patients.  You wouldn't believe how many parents don't visit their babies and ,therefore, they don't get held very much.  Sometimes it's because the parents don't have the means to get to the hospital, and other times it's because they just don't come.  We need more people with hearts like yours!

arv266

I am a Leader for a Girl Scout Troop.  I always wanted to be a girl scout, but there wasn't a troop in my neighborhood, and I just never had the opportunity.  I started out by helping with my daughter's Brownie troop, and then eventually lead my own group.  My daughter is no longer interested, but its still something that I completely enjoy.  My kids and I cook dinners for a homeless shelter once a month, and also help with serving the meals. 

My mother was very involved with our church when I was growing up, and she has definitely instilled a sense that I must help outhers - be it in volunteer work, or just seeing someone on the street in need. 
My kids and I cook dinners for a homeless shelter once a month, and also help with serving the meals. 

ohwhynot

Ehathawa, those are great ideas.  A colleague just suggested that the kids (they're 10 and almost 9) leaflet our neighborhood with a request to place unwanted coats on the porch on a certain date, then go around and collect the coats for the Coats For Kids program.  I really like that idea, plus the food collection idea. 

missy68

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_volunteer-work?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:8b3b2f2d-d971-457f-b7b1-9554ec32df3dPost:d46283c4-d112-490f-b404-4312ac8f082c">Re: Volunteer Work</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Volunteer Work : missy - I don't know about Iowa, but I work at a major children's hospital in Texas and we have volunteers.  We could always use more.  You should call a local hospital and ask if they have volunteers for NICU patients.  You wouldn't believe how many parents don't visit their babies and ,therefore, they don't get held very much.  Sometimes it's because the parents don't have the means to get to the hospital, and other times it's because they just don't come.  We need more people with hearts like yours!
Posted by jmkes[/QUOTE]

That's good to know. We have 3 major hospitals here and I'd love to do it. I know in Miami (but that was 15 years ago), my boss' wife was going to try and get me in where she was a nurse, but then Andrew came along, and things changed.

kellyjellybelly

I volunteered at an animal rescue for quite a few years.  I helped at adoption events and then I also was in charge of fundraising - I really enjoyed that.  We had a lot of younger kids volunteer with their parents at the adoption events.