We VOLUNTEER our Time! Congratulate Yourself & Post Ideas!

[AtLast]

Give yourself some recognition as a volunteer! Post about what kinds of things you volunteer time for. Hoping this thread gives others ideas about what might be something they can give time to and get on out there!

I volunteer a lot of time to political action during election years, but also time at public libraries to help adults to read. I want to start a small cooking class for diabetic teens in my home to teach more healthy cooking techniques (and food choices, how to shop, etc.) and help promote healthy weight loss. I am just going to do this free-lance, not connect it with an organization at this time. Maybe a monthly meeting right now and 3 kids, as I will have to foot the grocery bill. Want to see if this will work.

VOLUNTEER TO YOUR COMMUNITY and make a difference! Besides, its fun!

[Andrew, Jr.]

I participate in a lot of volunteer work. I do everything when I can due to my health. It ranges from making sandwiches for the homeless & poor, to feeding them during holidays, to handing out bags of groceries. It gives me joy to do this. I expect nothing in return.

I also pray for those who are sick, poor, and needy. Some online, and some who come to me in real time. I am not sure of why, but people seek me out. I go to St. Jude's Shrine to pray. Sometimes for hours at a time or for a few minutes. I remember when TJ's parents wrote me about their daughter's battle with cancer. The agony in their voices could just reach out and touch you. I sent them a prayer card, and the rosaries from St. Jude's that I used when my sister, JoAnn, was dying of skin cancer. The gift of prayer is very powerful and wonderful. It isn't something that you just give away. It is something that shows love and dedication to one's beliefs and giving hope for the future. It may not be what we want. It is in God's hands.

Good thread. I look forward to see what others do.

Namaste,
Andrew

[AtLast]

My hope is that a lot of us do step out of just volunteering within our queer community so that we touch others and maybe build some communication and help stop hate.

[Soft*Silver]

one of the exciting things that will happen once I move to Rose Cottage, is my ability to foster dogs. We have a local pound that is a kill pound. Every Friday. I am going to work with a local charity that pulls these dogs on Thursdays. They need foster homes. I wil specialize in the big breed of dogs. I have a newf now and I'm getting newf 2 after I move.) I am fencing the back yard and will be putting up a kennel to isolate them from my personal pets until we get a health clearance..then they can come into the house...

I am a Master Gardener too and for my community service I will be setting up some kind of horticulture therapy activity. One year I put in a children's garden for an inner city program that worked with kids who were infected or affected by HIV. This years activity will be smaller..I have alot on my plate right now but I will think of something.

[MissGentleman]

Is necroposting allowed, cos I'm thinking of getting a couple of volunteer jobs this summer.

My mum, albeit indirectly, has given me permission to volunteer for my city's pride festival! Which is surprising as she believes I'm 100 per cent heterosexual cos I happen to like guys as well as girls *facepalm*

The other volunteer thing will probably be another community project.

Wish me luck!

[Passionaria]

Right now I am on the board of our local Community Radio Station doing outreach to local non-profits that are undeserved by the media. I also train people in radio skills. Allgo, here in Texas is one of my favorite organizations. I would love to see them get more press. But after some of the hateful stuff I have seen happening here in the South, it makes me worried for their safety as well. Double edged sword, safer when quiet? I don't think so. The media / Hollywood has kept John Trudell alive. IMHO

Pashi

[cuddlyfemme]

I volunteer at Project Pet...a no kill shelter for dogs and cats. I mainly work with socializing the kitties who have been abused and are scared of people. Soon, I'll be working on the adoption screening process

[Lady_Wu]

I can't drive, so must depend on the kindness of friends to go anywhere non-medical. I am used to doing volunteer work, however, so found a few ways to volunteer online. I click each day for the Literacy, the Hunger, and the Rainforest Projects. Just for doing this, sponsors provide books for children. x-amounts of food for the hungry, and save/reclaim x-amounts of Rainforest land. Takes so little time, yet does so much! If one buys from the various stores associated with each site, them more gets donated. I also sign petitions, write letters, and do whatever else I can for causes for which I fight. Also, on the non-online side, I go through my closet once per year and give many clothes to the local shelter. This year I am considering offering-for FREE-some very nice clothes on Queerbay to anyone who would like them. Well, not quite free, since I am extremely poor, the recipient would have to pay postage. I have some very stylish coats, barely worn, and some Winter Sun skirt/shirt combinations which I cannot wear anymore due to extreme weight loss. Unfortunately, I am continuing to lose weight, so I doubt that I'll be wearing the Winter Sun clothes anymore. They are gently worn-no holes, tears, fading, rips, etc. I take very good care of my clothes! Anyone interested just from reading this post, PM me. They are medium but Winter Sun runs big and the skirt waists generally have elastic.
Namaste,
Lady_Wu

[cuddlyfemme]

My newest volunteer job is fostering kitties. I had no plans on doing this because of the emotions involved but a 2 year old orange tabby really needed a foster home. So, along with my 3 cats, I have Goldie the Cat now at my house

[Mrs. Strutt]

I support two organizations: Cut It Out - Salons Against Domestic Abuse, and Look Good...Feel Better, which is a free public service program to help women cope with their appearance and improve their self-esteem during cancer treatment.

[storyofmylife]

Awesome thread!
It is so wonderful to see volunteering from the Heart!
I love to volunteer ...... it makes my life complete.
During the Holidays through out the year, my bestfriend and
I would make and donate gift baskets for the children in the
homeless shelter. Helping out in our local soup kitchen.
Also helping local disable elderly with their daily needs such as
going to grocery store for them , doing laundry , help clean their
home or drive them to the doctor s office. And some fun stuff like
painting their nails, playing board games or just sit and listen to
them tell their childhood life stories.
I also have been fostering animals since I was a kid.
Every year my flower/ veggie garden gets bigger because I like to
give them away.

[LipstickLola]

People first, then animals, mostly horses.

During this season, I will use my Facebook page to bring awareness to a local charitable organization that raises money for food supplies, then on two upcoming Saturdays, we actually distribute the baskets to needy families. In my region, the need is great as unemployment, foreclosure, and the economy in general put so many families at a disadvantage.
www.wefeedpeople.com

A second cause where I am a regional volunteer, is the rescue of horses. I not only donate my resources, ie time, money, but organize fund raising venues as well as education to other equine enthusiasts in this area.

I also sit on the board of directors of an after-school program for at-risk children.

To whom much is given, much is expected

[Legendryder]

I volunteer two days a week at a soup kitchen here in Ellijay. We feed about 80 people a day. 10 hours of my time per week is well spent.

[SmoothButch]

I am a volunteer Fire & Rescue member.

[SelfMadeMan]

I volunteer for the MN Patriot Guard, for those of you who aren't familiar with the group, it's a group of motorcycle riders who escort and hold flag lines to honor fallen soldiers, as well as doing welcome homes and send-offs.

I also do as many charity motorcycle runs as I can fit in during the spring & summer, my favorite being the Cruise for Kids run for the Rochester, MN Ronald McDonald House. Last year we raised over $124,000 in ONE DAY for the kids!

And in the next month or so, I plan to volunteer for Meals on Wheels to help feed the elderly/disabled

[justkim]

I do this also with my parents. I can honestly say that our Veteran's are some of the most amazing people. They would give the shirt off of their backs to help anyone. I was volunteering at the YMCA while I lived in Oregon, I got a free membership for giving three hours of my week to them. I met some of the cutest people while sitting at the front desk and answering questions.

Originally Posted by SelfMadeMan

I volunteer for the MN Patriot Guard, for those of you who aren't familiar with the group, it's a group of motorcycle riders who escort and hold flag lines to honor fallen soldiers, as well as doing welcome homes and send-offs.

I also do as many charity motorcycle runs as I can fit in during the spring & summer, my favorite being the Cruise for Kids run for the Rochester, MN Ronald McDonald House. Last year we raised over $124,000 in ONE DAY for the kids!

And in the next month or so, I plan to volunteer for Meals on Wheels to help feed the elderly/disabled

[LaneyDoll]

This is a great thread and I am hoping it gets going again.

I have always done volunteer work.

From age 13 to 17, I visited/volunteered in the nursing home my mom worked for. My sister and I would feed residents, read to them, visit to them and take them for walks/rides in the facility.

From 18 to 19, I did behind the scenes work for Camp Smile A Mile. Nothing fabulous, mostly stuffing envelopes, filling raffle boxes etc.

From 19 to 27, I was one of five core members of the Make-A-Wish Foundation in Alabama. When we merged with the Atlanta chapter, the new group was so big that I no longer felt like I was needed and I moved on to a smaller group closer to home. The fact that I was also a new mom made it harder and harder to interact with the kids-my heart weighed too heavy and burnout set in fast.

So, at 28, I moved on to the Pride group in my hometown. Not what you think, for them, "Pride" meant pride in the town/community. We raised money for schools and community groups like the Boy Scouts. But I left there after a fiasco involving another member. She pushed and pushed for us to host an event that, in hosting, would cost us about 90% of our financial assets. I was the only one who opposed it and did so since there was no guarantee of return. We spent almost everything we had and lost every bit of it. At that point, I decided I really did not want to work and work and work for the funds to be wasted carelessly so I quietly left. And took a much needed break from non-profit.

Almost, three years ago, when I joined the BDSM lifestyle, I started donating time and energy to them. To have finally settled into something that I love, that I see the results of is wonderful. I am not sure how much people will view it as volunteering, but I don't get paid so to me, it counts-lol.

[Sparkle]

Thank you, Volunteers!!! The work you do is so necessary and invaluable.

Most of the non-profit fundraising work I do is completely reliant on volunteer support, especially in this economy. I currently work with a volunteer board and they are fantastic, they do so much work and have so much enthusiasm; they make my work much more fun.

I am currently volunteering on two fundraising projects. (a hazard of being a professional fundraiser). One is a benefit for friend who is undergoing some horrific surgeries, the other is setting up an endowed scholarship fund in the memory of two classmates for my 20th HS Reunion next summer.

I would really love to do some volunteer work that didn't involve fundraising though, I will strive for that when I've finished these projects.

A happy volunteer story...

When I first moved to London and I was applying for my residency based on my same-sex relationship, I could not work (legally) and I could not travel (because my passport was in the home office - for 2!!! years)...

I became a full-time volunteer with Stonewall Lobby Group, the largest LGBT lobby group in Europe. It was one of the best things I have ever done.

I was working in the office when monumental legal change was happening:
the ban on gays in the military was lifted, Section 28 was repealed, LGBT adoption was made legal, same-sex immigration was legitimized, and the groundwork was being laid for civil unions.

To be *there* as it was happening, where it was happening was life changing for me. It restored my hope and it gave me a real sense of value and accomplishment -- both things I desperately needed at that time (because of my own legal struggle to remain with my partner). And the icing on the cake was that I met some of the most famous queers in the UK and I organized events at some of the poshest places in London. And most important, I made incredible friendships that I still have today.

When my residency visa was approved, I had a paying job within a week because of the networks I had developed for myself through Stonewall.

Ever since then I've made it a priority to do some volunteer work, however small the time I have to give.

Volunteering is good for the organization and equally good for yourself.

So, thank you again to each of your who volunteers time somewhere or with someone.
You're doing important work.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.

[Arwen]

I volunteer with a breed rescue group, B.R.A.T. We rescue Basenji and Basenji-mix dogs. I primarily do home visits. I've driven down to San Antonio and back to make sure a home was a good one. I'm delighted to say that particular home took in a lovely 9 year old B. They met my Nayru, who is the perfect ambassador for the breed. Another family here in Austin also met her. They adopted a rascally 7 month old mix.

I'm passionate about rescue. All of my animals that I currently have were strays other than Nayru (and my eldest cat...he was heading to the shelter when I scooped him up 10 years or so ago.)

I'd like to get involved with our local literacy program as well. Reading opened my world up. I'd like to do that for someone else.

Great thread, ALH.

[Inked_Trinity]

I volunteer at a no-kill animal shelter. I do a lot of transports for them. Picking up animals from other shelters so they have a better chance for adoption. I also work with the cats, socializing them.