Volunteering

[kidcolin]

Diablo,

I'm in the same boat. I used to be pretty involved back in college, but for the past three years have barely done anything.

Habitat is on obvious one. Very enjoyable. I did it as part of a spring break trip and had an awesome time. We had the benefit of starting at the very beginning... installing floor boards, and then putting up the whole frame. Very gratifying.

Oh yeah.. and we did it in Jackson, MS. Not really your typical spring break destination.. but it was very eye opening for me. I had never spent any real time in the deep south. Quite the experience. For all you college kids out there, a lot of schools have some sort of spring break volunteering program. Whether it's just a trip or two on some Habitat outing, or working with a bunch of different projects.

Though I did a variety of projects, the Alternative Spring Break program was my main focus. I worked as a coordinator one year (jointly in charge of a specific trip), and the following year was a Program Manager, responsible for organizing all 11 trips. The program was VERY popular at my school. We had to turn students away every year. Projects varied from Habitat, to nature preserves (with camping!), to building wheelchair ramps in Nashville, food shelters in ATL, and some other stuff I'm forgetting.

These trips were a great way of incorporating El D's 3 reasons for volunteering: you're helping out, you meet cool peopole, and have a blast. Trip destinations weren't just selected based on the work, bute also based on how enjoyable they might be (since you'll be there a week). I mean, sometimes nature restoration projects aren't all THAT helpful, and even sometimes of dubious need at best. But you all end up having a blast, and some of the students are going to return home with a newfound love for volunteering, so that's cool.

This sort of program is pretty easy to get started as well. Our entire budget for all 11 trips (vans, gas, tents, food, supplies, etc) were paid for by $200 per volunteer, and a few generous supplies donations. And we had room to spare. PM me if you want any other details.

[Boris]

I'm a selfish prick. I havn't volunteered since college. For 3 years I participated in a program where you would take disabled people skiing. I worked for two years with stroke victims and one year with a retarded dude. Basically we would make various ski based contraptions and then let the person go down hill while you checked their speed with a tether. My worst experience was when the handlers forgot to make the retarded dude take a dump before skiing. Yes. I had to take him to the toilet and wipe his ass. He was that handicapped. The best part was sharing my favorite experience (skiing) while enabling another person to feel that same joy. Without fail, all the handicapped people in this program were so grateful and stoked to go skiing. Most of these people lead a fairly constrained existence so this ski program truly enhanced their quality of life. The second best part was I got to bang a few of my fellow volunteers. Hawt!

A friend of mine is trying to convince me to volunteer with an organization called Building With Books. I'm gonna pass on this particular organization but I'm still looking for something good to do.

[adsman]

I haven't done any volunteering in the traditional style. But as alluded by Boris with the skiing you can involve disadvantaged people in an activity that you do. You're still giving your time I suppose.

The last two rafting seasons I've helped organise trips for handicapped people. We do seperate trips for the mentally handicapped, the blind and the deaf. We go and pick them up and then we take them through the whole experience. Obviously we can't take them down the harder stretches of the river but they get so much out of the parts that we can do.

One year I also took some paraplegics rafting. That was a bit more full on but they loved it. We don't charge for this so I suppose it is volunteering.

[El Diablo]

Boris/ads: A friend of mine is active in Outdoors for All (formerly Ski for All) in Washington. Folks up there might want to check it out. And ads, what you do is TOTALLY volunteering in the spirit of this thread, very good stuff.

Tuco: That sort of feeling is the reason I've avoided doing the stuff where I regularly see the same kid, like ongoing tutoring programs or Big Brothers. Also the same reason I tend not to volunteer with people who have very little hope. Leaving them and knowing you can't do much at all to help their situation sucks. Most of the places I have volunteered (Hamilton, Edgewood, etc.) focus on people on the way up, providing them with a stepping stone to the next level of a more productive life. I enjoy being part of that. As far as money goes, I figure the best way for me to get the most utility out of my donation is to give it to some of these organizations and let them decide how to allocate it best.

octopi: I totally relate. I definitely like more immediate feedback and like feeling appreciated. That's why play days with kids are great. You are giving kids a break and they love it. At places like family shelters, this is a rare time when the parents get some time alone without the kids. So they really appreciate it too. And it's fun.

[guids]

I went to a catholic high school we were required to do a ton of "volunteering". I did mine at my mom's preschool, setting up computers, and teaching the kids, it was fun, more importantly I started to do more later on, I volunteered at a now defunct chilren's home, basically doing nothing more than holding, babies, most of them were abused/had a drug dependent mom, so they were going through withdrawals, and would do nothing but cry, when they got old enough it was sad, because, basically they got so attatched that once you left they would start crying again. I also did habitat for humanity with my mom, but I didntn do anything other than fetch tools and sweep, as im just horrible at that stuff. Eventually, when my little brother gets a little older, and I dont have anyone to teach all these cool life tricks to, Im going to do big brother/big sister, I have a friend that does it now, and he cant say enough good things about it. I also have done some random holidy voluteering when I was in HS/college, soup kitchens, delivering christmas presents, etc.

[disjunction]

I've done various, but the only one I did regularly was the Food Bank and a little GED. Volunteering for the Food Bank takes a minute to learn and a lifetime to master. The Food Bank needs volunteers all year round, there are less volunteers when it's NOT Thanksgiving so each individual will be much more productive. Mia from "Top Chef" commented that her parents relied on the food bank when she was young.

Some Food Bank tips for beginners:

(1) When in doubt, throw it out. Don't poison people.
(2) The "Rice Test". Picture pushing the can vertically in to a bowl of rice and picking it back up. If the can would retain rice, that is, if the rice gets pinched in, then the can is bad.
(3) Most foods are good until 6 months after expiration.
(4) Find a niche that no one else is doing, it makes everybody more efficient!
(5) Don't stand there for a minute trying to ponder the right category. Just guess and sort more food!

The last is my personal opinion and I get a conspicuous silence when I mention it to other Food Bankers.

[Matt Flynn]

I have been the volunteer dermatologist in pediatrics for Wake County for a few years. I see all the health dept. kids requiring derm services at clinics at the County hospital. I also provide free services in my office to some other kids when the need arises and to some adults -- mainly chemo pts with rashes and a few skin cancer excisions. I do the odd lecture, church group meeting, support group meeting, public skin cancer screening, and so forth.

[Jurollo]

Great thread El D. I am going to look into some food banks in Portland, OR and hopefully spend some time at them next week. Its really a great fit for poker players who have free time and dont need the money associated with a job, it fulfills a lot of the social needs that poker can't.
~J

[Jurollo]

[ QUOTE ]
Great thread El D. I am going to look into some food banks in Portland, OR and hopefully spend some time at them next week. Its really a great fit for poker players who have free time and dont need the money associated with a job, it fulfills a lot of the social needs that poker can't.
~J

[/ QUOTE ]
This is the site for the Oregon Food Bank

I also did some work in Worcester, MA during college and can get people contact information for that if they need it. Here is their web site though.

~J

[gamblore99]

Over the past few years I have volunteered peers, youths, hospitals, and foodbanks, and other events on occassion. Looking back I either slacked off completely or I made a really big effort and found it to be exhausting. I think you get so much more out of it if you make yourself useful on your own terms.

The habitat for humanity sounds really good. For me, I think having fun/working with people is the most important, and this usually involves a lot of interaction with other volunteers, and to a lesser extent people who we may be trying to help.