Do you volunteer?

No, I don’t “volunteer.” The word is based on the premise that my time is devoted to money.

I volunteer, but not in the conventional way. I prefer to help people when I think it’s right. I can do anything to help within my power like offering free tutoring for a day or translating. I don’t participate in volunteer groups because I often don’t agree with the way they organize and because I prefer freedom to give the right help.

In my youth, I volunteered in nursing homes my mother worked in as a sort of entertainment companion during school breaks.

I’d play chess, or tinker on the piano, or join in at Sittercize with the residents. I was basically a granddaughter for hire, silly as that sounds. So many people had no one to visit them, and it often pleased them to have someone listen to their stories, or paint a picture beside them.

I’m a volunteer van driver for the Shriners Hospitals taking patients to hospital visits, a volunteer for the state university as a Master Gardener (includes Santa Claus, phone duty for “Info Line”). volunteer teach Ukulele for a daycare co-op and a volunteer for the Elks doing civic and community events.

I used to volunteer a lot for some local public organizations. I regret it now.

They were successful in their endeavors (thanks in part to people like me), but then they each got too big, too bureaucratic, too top heavy—to the point that serving the public in that mission became secondary to the goal of raising funds. The tail started wagging the dog,

Only if I can work “behind the scenes”, and that’s almost always tougher than you think.

Have done in the past, Alzheimer’s charities & such.

I established and am a director for a prostate cancer support organization about 5 years ago. I spend a lot of time on that because I can see the difference it makes in the quality of men’s lives.

I do a lot of volunteer work at my Unitarian Univeralist congregation and am, the Board Secretary.

I spent years volunteering, for a local wildlife group, feeding baby birds and re-habbing small mammals and waterfowl. I also volunteered for migratory winter bird counts for Cornell lab of ornithology , as a 4-H youth group leader, teaching poultry keeping and taking my group of kids to the the local county fair to show/exhibit their birds. Total years of volunteering, about 17.
Now that I have been wiped out in the great recession these past 3 years, well…the only thing I am volunteering for now is my own future survival. haha

I enjoyed all of my volunteer work, especially helping/saving animals and knowing I made an impact and created fun memories for a lot of kids.

Technically no. However, I work many more hours than I’m paid for so I’m volunteering for my organisation.

I have volunteered in the past and I will volunteer in the future. I have no doubt about that.

Not right now. I resigned from volunteering my dog last week – my young dog and I would visit a school once a week, teaching a bunch of seven-year-olds. I plan to go back next term, but I have too much real work to do at the moment.

When I was a kid I used to go to the hospital and visit with patients who were on dialysis. I was supposed to read to them, but usually I ended up chatting and listening to their stories instead. We also used to go and deliver groceries to families on a predetermined list for Thanksgiving dinner. As a young adult I tried my hand at helping with animal rescue, but that blew up in my face in a horrible way and put me off of volunteering for a long time. Over the last few years I have gotten back into the habit and I joined the board for a community garden that was geared towards helping people in the area with food insecurity. Also some fundraising for local projects to assist the houseless, especially veterans. I need to volunteer more consistently, helping is one thing that always makes my heart feel fulfilled.

Recently I’ve been volunteering at a local humane society—I’m allergic to cats, so I’ve just been working with the dogs. I’m currently trying to fit more training classes into my schedule, so all I “get” to do right now is pet and play with the dogs… which is probably some of the most selfish volunteer work I could choose!

But it’s great to see the dogs and hope I’m helping them deal with the isolation/boredom aspect of shelter life (it’s a rather cush shelter, these dogs are very lucky, but they still spend much of their time alone in a kennel), and I hope when I’m helping them look more adoptable as families walk by.

No but I would like to.

Yes! As a creative supervisor.

I work with kids with difficulties in development and with kids coming from poor families. I am a tutor, I help them express themselves, and what is more important I’m helping them with their homework. It is a part of a program that we’ve conducted locally and the kids love it!

Often