shesus

How do you feel about volunteering time and/or money? Do you prefer one over the other? What is your motivation? OR Why don't you volunteer?

When I was in my early teens, I would go to the nursing home around the corner and play the piano for the residents. They enjoyed having a young person around and I enjoyed playing for people. Many times, I would stay for awhile and chat or play games. My main reason for going was because I was home alone a lot and enjoyed getting out and spending time with people.

After graduating college, I joined AmeriCorp for the summer to help facilitate a reading program. While doing that, we also helped to build a Habitat House. I did that mostly for the college stipend and some extra money.

When we lived in Columbus, we volunteered to help upkeep the park that was by our apartment. I did this because I enjoy gardening and the park was like our front yard.

Now, I'm at a food pantry distributing food. I chose this because I enjoy helping those who have little. I like interacting with people and to be honest, it's nice to hear sincere 'thank you's from people, even if it's only 2 out of 20 people. I enjoy it and it makes me feel like I'm contributing to my neighborhood.

I have little money so I can never make money donations. However, time I always find I have a lot of. There was about a 5 year period that I didn't volunteer at all. I was going through a selfish phase. Luckily, I worked through my issues and am now back assisting others.

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jorgelito

i think either one is great. Whichever you/one can afford or are willing to do. Both are vital and important. I have heard, informally, that regardless of income, volunteering is the more rewarding of the two.

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Cynthetiq

I donate money to causes, especially when there are employer matches. I at least give to the employer match for the minimum amount. If I can go above it I can.

I volunteer at Lifebeat from time to time, a particular program called Hearts and Voices which brings musicians into hospices for entertainment. I help setup the AV equipment, chairs, etc. I go visit every single room on a floor and personally invite each individual to come to the show.

I go as often as I can. It's not easy going to see HIV/AIDS patients. For some this is their last stop.

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shoegirl

I think volunteering is fantastic, and time and/or money are both important options. When I was younger, I volunteered to tutor 3rd graders after school. I've done some work with Habitat for Humanity, and most recently I volunteered in the children's wing in the local hospital.

It seems these days I have trouble finding the time, so I try to donate what I can when I can.

dlish

i put aside some money every year to the poor. i give at other times to other organisations throughout the year

i took 2 weeks off work last year for my charity trek to malaysia, ill be doing the same for the next trek to mach pichu peru

i often teach kids how to swim for free because it gives me a buzz knowng i taught someone something without getting any personal gain

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abaya

Volunteering seems to be a very American thing, now that I've lived abroad and traveled quite a bit--and while I often have a hard time giving blind praise to the US, I must say that I'm damn proud of the model of civic participation that is so prevalent in America. I have not seen another country with the same culture of volunteerism as I have seen in the US (though perhaps Dlish can inform me about Australia).

Throughout high school and college, volunteering was a big deal to me. I liked working with immigrants (or immigrant kids--e.g. reading programs) most of all, though I also worked with homeless teens in a GED-earning setting at a local shelter. We were also required to do a ton of volunteering when I was at the evangelical university, since the main part of our "mission" was to engage the world through social activism. That was one thing that I liked a lot about my university.

Since graduating, though, and living in Iceland (and going to grad school, in a small college town where volunteering wasn't a huge deal), I've missed the involvement of volunteering that I had back in Seattle. I hope to get back to it soon, as I feel it really puts you in touch with the often-neglected parts of your community, which is necessary if you don't want to isolate yourself among people of your same class and ethnicity, for example. Ideally, I'd like my day job to be something along the lines of what I used to volunteer to do (helping immigrants), because I feel it's important enough to warrant spending my career focusing on that--but we'll see what comes up when we return to the States.

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Xazy

I used to be involved a lot more in community events, I have found as I get older that between work, family and just down time, I have really cut out the volunteering. I do give 10% to charity and in the end of the year I normally have given way over that 10% mark. I believe the way to give charity is first to family that need, then friends, then your local community then to other charity's beyond that. I have never gotten past the local community charity (and sadly have given a lot at times to family and a friend).

cj2112

Many of you know I was just married on the 4th....I met her through some volunteer work that the kids and I were involved in.

Seanland

I find volunteering to be a great way to learn, and help people by using your knowledge. I have been an avid volunteering since I was really young. My first time volunteering was when I was 6, I went to paid an elderly home, with my mom through her work. In the last two years, I have done traveling / volunteering.. I go to school in PEI, where I volunteer with the school by being the convener of the Intramural Ball Hockey League.. which was a great success, met a lot of people from the school, being that I am from Ontario. As a Sports and Leisure Student I also help out in the storage room.

Before school, I was in Katimavik, a Canadian Youth Volunteer Program, that was really awesome, brought me to three places,
Elliot Lake, ON, Nelson, BC and Chicoutimi, QC for 3 months each. Where I worked at three full time volunteer jobs, earning a weekly stipend of $21 (lifestyle of the rich and famous), volunteer onto of my three full time jobs.. Everything was paid for, by the program through the Canadian Government.. It was quite the learning experience.

It is more that just a volunteering experience in itself.. You are living with 10 other people plus your project leader, these people are from all across the country. The groups are made up of a general distribution of the population, so there are approximately 4 people from Ont, 3 people from Quebec, 1 from Maritimes, 1 from Prairies, 1 from Alberta/NWT, 1 from BC / Yukon...

When I get back to PEI in Sept, I'm trying to volunteer for the Red Cross, as a Disaster Response Volunteer, as I believe it will help me progress, towards my goal of becoming a paramedic.

Personally, I do not like the organizations that require you to pay a fee to volunteer. I try to avoid doing things like that.. I always willing to help a hand, but I'm not willing to pay a fee to help. In my opinion you can find help elsewhere.

Volunteering is an important part of my life

sapiens

When I was in high school, I volunteered frequently. I belonged to the Key Club (high school version of Kiwanis - a charitable organization). I went to daily meetings at my high school. I volunteered 40+ hours a semester at a variety of charities. I never felt that invested though. It was always about the hours - competing against other members in hours served.

My high school gave us two weeks off our junior year to volunteer full-time with an organization. I volunteered with an organization that served mentally handicapped children. I never felt particularly invested there either.

Since graduating from high school, I have volunteered here and there, but again, I haven't felt invested in a cause. Now, I have two young kids and I don't feel like I have the time to volunteer anywhere. I volunteer at my daughter's school, but I'm always a little hesitant. I think that the director of the school is embezzling funds. Why invest in a school if it supports the director's theft?

My wife is trying to figure out a way to volunteer with my daughter for a week full-time at the humane society. Hopefully, that will work out. I need to find a charity that I feel some passion about and volunteer there.

dlish

ill be doing a trek to peru for charity in a few weeks where ill take time off and spend a hefty chunk of my monthly salary in the process.

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Xerxys

I pay taxes.

ASU2003

I volunteer for the parks dept when they need to do some major project and PBS sometimes.

I also clean up the trash in my neighborhood once or twice a year (it isn't that bad, but is better with it picked up)

I do wish that there would be better advertisement for volunteer opportunities in my city.

passthru

I prefer volunteering to monetary donations mainly because I like to know exactly what help I have provided, and I'm a little paranoid. I never trust the organization or use of money; I've seen too many poor choices in the past.

Without volunteering, any helpful attitudes and thoughts are limited to the chance of being in the right place at the right time. Yesterday I helped a guy push-start his truck because I happened to be in the parking lot at the right time. Then, I saw a kid playing with his parents at the grocery store and he didn't see the shopping cart rolling towards his head. It was complete luck that I was there.

I'm looking forward to Saturday, there's a park cleanup/maintenance thing and everybody who visits the park will be visiting a slightly nicer forest.

Another fun one is trail maintenance. I haven't done that in over a year, but it's plain manual labor to keep a beautiful hiking path accessible. If any of you have wilderness areas nearby and like hiking, you should try it out.. you'll love it

wooÐs

When I was much younger, I did the candy striper thing. In high school, I volunteered in old folks' homes. And currently, I'm in the midst of making a drastic career change by interviewing for positions working with the elderly. It's not volunteering, but to me it's the same premise. Instead of pushing papers all day like an office monkey, the job would be much more worthwhile imo. These people are essentially counting down the days. Having an opportunity to help make each minute somewhat enjoyable for them just seems honorable. Plus I'm thinking this job would allow me to come home and flop down on the couch exhausted, yet glad I have 4 functioning limbs and a brain that works like it should... sorta lulz.

Magpie_1

Last year I would volunteer at the local art gallery every other weekend. I love art and liked being around people with the same interests. It was fun to talk to people about local artists, about what we liked and didn't politically like or understand about their works. Now I don't feel I have the time to be working there.

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Shauk

I donate to soulseek >.>

I volunteer dj work.

both of which benefit me for obvious reasons. so no, i'm not entirely selfless

Bill O'Rights

Umm...Shauk? Getting tossed out of a club, and the owners refusing to pay you, is not the same thing as volunteering.

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Shauk

that doesn't happen

People liked having me out for their no-cover club nights, did a few lan-parties even, that was kinda strange for me, everyone sits on their computer, I got to stand in my corner while they just wandered over to listen while they took breaks from slaughtering each other.

Charlatan

I'm big on the volunteering thing. I did quite a bit when I was kid and in Scouts. But since then, I find I don't have the time for it or the desire to do it. My wife does some work helping to build houses.

I suppose you could say that being a mod on this board is volunteering but I'd just say I'm procrastinating.

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Tully Mars

I do the house building thing down here too. I usually do the wiring and sometimes the plumbing. Churches from the Canada and the States are always coming down and building a few houses over a couple weeks. Most of the houses are about the size of my living room, I can wire the whole place in less then a day. But when you're living in a tar paper shack moving up to concrete and glass windows is a big thing.

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