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Enjoy your stay Thanx for visiting |
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Enjoy your stay Thanx for visiting |
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~ Volunteer Work ~
If you are fortunate enough to have some spare time, volunteer work can be one of the most rewarding ways of spending that time for the benefit of others. It is one of the kindest gifts you can give to your community. No matter what you do, you will derive some form of pleasure and satisfaction from the experience. You don't have to commit to a lot of hours every week. Many agencies accepting volunteer work, will take any hours you are willing to give (even if it is one hour every other week). I have never known anyone, or any agency, who has refused volunteer support.
Every once in awhile I spend some quality time with handicapped children at a local community centre. I have been doing it for a few years now and I still enjoy the experience every time I go. I usually volunteer three to four hours a month and that is perfect for my schedule. It doesn't interfere with anything I do and it is just the right amount of time to spend doing something for the community. I have done a variety of things for this agency, but my favourite things are coaching summer baseball and helping run the "drop-in" night. It has worked out to be a very comfortable "niche" for me and it doesn't feel like any work at all. It is actually just a lot of fun. I do look forward to it. I believe this is the key to successful long-term volunteering.
If you like what you are doing (when you volunteer), it has a way of becoming a personal hobby rather than a routine. In my own particular case, I have become quite attached to some of the handicapped children. They really have become good friends. I do look forward to seeing and talking to them. You really do miss them. The wonderful thing about volunteering is that everyone is always happy to see you. They are genuinely grateful you are there. They know you don't have to be there and because of that, they appreciate your efforts all that much more. Every week after I finish volunteering, I feel a wonderful sense of pride and accomplishment. I feel like I have made a significant difference.
I chose handicapped children because I love working with young people (both male and female). I don't have any real preference about age groups, but if I had to choose, I would work with young teenagers. I seem to communicate better with this age group and they seem to interact well with me.
I have been very lucky that the agency I work with, has an abundance of children who are all seeking some "adult" guidance and friendship from somebody other than an "over-protective" parent or a clinical therapist. They just want to feel normal for a change. They don't want to think about their handicap and limitations. They want somebody to like them just for who they are. They don't want or need pity. As you get to know them, their "handicap" starts to disappear. They really are very much the same as you and I. They have just been challenged to do the things that we take for granted.
Here is a story inside a story. One summer evening last year, I was coaching a game with the "Challenger" little leaguers. Many of the children were using wheelchairs, walkers, strollers and all sorts of mechanical contraptions to get around. Some of the children had artificial limbs as a result of car accidents or surgery. One particular boy had his left arm amputated at the elbow and had a plastic prosthesis (it looked inexpensive and somewhat simple in design). This boy loved baseball but had this awkward way of catching the ball with his glove and then throwing the ball. He would catch with his right hand, take the glove off by wedging it under his left armpit, retrieve the ball from the glove with his right hand (with the glove still in his armpit) and then throw the ball. This took about ten to twenty seconds. Of course the base runners are already taking extra bases while all of this is going on. So here I am, looking at this teenager and thinking to myself... "There must be an easier, faster way". I approached him after the inning and suggested that he try using the glove on his left hand and placing it on his artificial limb. We managed to secure it to his artificial hand and it did look great. The limb seemed to be holding under the extra weight and the boy felt comfortable with it. This showed some real promise. I suggested he try it during the next inning. So, the next inning comes and sure enough an infield fly-ball comes in his direction. He manages to catch the ball with his left hand (with the glove) but the force of the impact "blew the arm" right off him. The arm and the glove went flying for about ten feet. The boy fell to the ground. Everyone stood up in horror and disbelief. I went running out to the field and crouched down beside him to see if he was okay. He was laughing. He was laughing so hard, he was crying. He thought it was absolutely hilarious that his arm got carried away with the glove and the ball. I started laughing myself because it really was funny. He wasn't offended at all. I retrieved the arm with the glove from the outfield and to my astonishment, the ball was still in the glove. I held up the arm high in the air (with the glove and ball still intact) and yelled "OUT". Everyone but everyone, laughed and screamed out of sheer excitement. It was a night to remember. This boy and I have become best of friends.
It is memories like these that make volunteer work worthwhile. You never know what to expect and the joy comes from the simplest of things. Handicapped children are wonderful and they deserve all the attention in the world. These kids have found humility, bravery and trust at a very tender age. They have taught me a lot about life and for that, I will give them volunteer attention.
The level of commitment you choose to volunteer is entirely up to you. There must be a willingness to sacrifice your own time. How much time is really your own judgement. If I were you, I would start small, maybe one hour a week maximum. If you like it, you can always increase the number of hours you volunteer. Don't ever make the mistake of over-committing yourself, because you feel some sort of obligation or pity. That is not what volunteer work is all about. If you give too much time and you feel pressure to do it, you will eventually resent it and stop it altogether. Volunteering with an agency (like United Way) requires a longer commitment than helping organize a local parade. You have to pace yourself because you are in it for the "long-haul". People will come to rely on you. Make no mistake about your impact as a volunteer. You are needed and wanted and they will ask you, all the time, for extra help. There are times when you will have to say no. There are also times you will agree to extra things.
That is the nature of volunteer work. If you do it well and in small, bite-sized pieces, you can sustain it for as long as you want to. It will become a very rewarding part of your life.
Pure and simple...
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- This Storyworx page updated May 20th, 1998 -