Do you volunteer?

[Sully]

Lately it seems that I have a lot of extra time.. so I thought :idea: why don't I do something useful and volunteer somewhere.. but what could I do that I would enjoy and feel like I was giving back.. I looked around on line and found a website http://www.volunteermatch.org/ (http://www.volunteermatch.org) which has a lot of opportunities available... but I am undecided on what to do... :think: I have done a TON of volunteering in the past, but I'm looking for something new and different.

So, I am asking for your input on what you've done!! :loop:

I am curious to see how many people out there volunteer. Whether it be volunteering to help a child read, volunteering in a race/marathon, or volunteering in a soup kitchen. If you do volunteer, would you mind sharing where or what you did, your reasoning for choosing that place/charity and if you enjoyed it? And by all means, I am not judging anyone ... 8)

Thanks for your help!

[Ricky]

My favorite way to "volunteer" right from my computer, is www.kiva.org. I've done something like 24 loans in the last few years. And it's great because your small amount can be used over and over again.

I have also volunteered for the denver rescue mission. They have more opportunities than just working in the kitchen.

[Sean]

I think that's a great idea Sully. Especially since it's getting colder and more people could use a hand. :up:

Angela and I used to volunteer at the Boulder Homeless Shelter. We would cook breakfast one morning a week. It was pretty fun. Why...I don't know. Just because. I wish we were in a position to keep doing it.

I also volunteer at lots of races (duathlons/triathlons) but it's more selfish. I usually get comped entries in exchange.

[Airreed]

I used to volunteer at the Denver Humane Society. I did it for about 3 years. I walked dogs for about 3 hours a week.

Perks: Dog's kick ass, lots of love back to you. If you are single, you WILL get hit on (lots of singles get dogs).

Negatives: When "Johnny the Ugly Dog" is there every week you come in you know that his days are limited.... (Volunteer are not involved in any part of the eutnasia process).

Yes, the are a kill shelter, but they do have over a 95-96% adoption rate.

[Airreed]

Sully-
I'm always looking for volunteers to come over and do house/yard work!

[CYCLE_MONKEY]

I volunteer................to do free breast exams! :D

[Sully]

:lol: Thanks for the offer Jason!

Some great ideas, keep them coming!

[Sully]

I volunteer................to do free breast exams! :D

Do you get clientele or do they just say they would prefer to pay? :bigeyes: LOL

[PhL0aTeR]

Perks: Dog's kick ass, lots of love back to you. If you are single, you WILL get hit on (lots of singles get dogs).



^this

We volunteer as foster parents for the Colorado Greyhound Adoption (http://www.greyhoundadoption.com/) org. They have a lot of different opportunities to volunteer your free time other than fostering though, which we also partake in, such as Meet&Greets at different locations, usually the fronts of pet stores where we gather donations, offer information on adopting a greyhound, etc. Some things give you side benefits like if you volunteer at the Ren Faire, you obviously get in for free, and during your "shift" you get an hour or so to walk around and enjoy the other stuff there.

Fostering is a difficult job. Its like having a new puppy every month, and you obviously have to love dogs. When we get dogs retired from the track we usually have to teach them rudimentary activities like walking up and down stairs, potty training in some cases, not chewing on shit, playing, going for walks in populated areas, socializing the foster with other people as well as other dogs that dont look like small horses... lol. We are also tasked with writing up a bio that is published on the CGA site along with a pic of your foster detailing to possible adopters the personality of your pup. CGA provides the crate, a raised feeding/watering dish, muzzle, leashes, food as well as taking care of their initial vet visit and any vet issues that come up while you are fostering! The only thing you are out besides time is gas going to and from the vet, hauls - where we meet a big "doggie livestock truck" straight from the kennels from the track and pick up our fosters.

^sounds hard but its great. we have never gotten a bad dog, although we have had a couple difficult, and we have also fell in love with a few and adopted them... lol.

For the most part, the greyhounds ENJOY retirement, and just lay around, debunking the popular misconception that these guys need a lot of room to run, a house with a big yard, etc...

as long as youve got a couch, you should be good to go... lol

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y210/PhL0aTeR/Bullet/100_3649.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y210/PhL0aTeR/Bullet/100_3307.jpg

having more than one might cause some issues..... lulz

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y210/PhL0aTeR/Pet%20Stuff/100_5585.jpg


Dont mean to judge, (lol) but good on ya for taking the initiative to fill in the extra time! Good luck in your choice!

[dirkterrell]

I volunteer as a football coach at a local middle school. (Just got an award from the school district Tuesday night, in fact, for volunteering over the years. :king: ). It's something I love to do and it gives me a chance to have a positive influence on the development of young people. I also spend time doing things like science fairs and classroom visits talking about space and science in general. Schools are a great place to have a positive impact.

Dirk

[bodhizafa]

My favorite way to "volunteer" right from my computer, is www.kiva.org (http://www.kiva.org). I've done something like 24 loans in the last few years. And it's great because your small amount can be used over and over again.

I have also volunteered for the denver rescue mission. They have more opportunities than just working in the kitchen.

2nd on Kiva (although it doesn't take up your time) I've had some money with them for years. Everyone I have loaned to has paid the entire loan back, so I just keep re-loaning it. :D

[TurboGizzmo]

We get 2 paid days a year to volunteer but since i work with people all day long i normally try to do something animal or computer related for volunteering.

[Dietrich_R1]

Big Bro / Big Sis ... Where else can you corrupt the hell out of a little kid, stuff them full of sugar, & send them home to MOM!!!!!!

This 1 is a LONG-TERM committment!!!

[= Buckeye Jess =]

Sully... like a lot of other folks on here, I've volunteered with some animal shelters (am actually considering doing it again soon!) Some shelters are structured and require time commitments from their volunteers while others are laid back and just take what they can get.
I also volunteered with MADD after all of their help when I got hit by the drunk. They had a victim's advocate by my side every time I stepped foot in the courtroom and she helped me through the whole thing from emotionally to paperwork - I felt I could in turn help others that were in similar situations.
Back in college I also volunteered at local hospitals. Every hospital I know of has a volunteer program with tons of different opportunities, from paperwork and phonework, to directing visitors and transporting patients.
Good on you chica and good luck!

[Tipys]

Well Sully volunteering is a great thing. You just have to find doing something you enjoy and don't mind doing for free or well only the feeling of helping out.

I am a Volunteer Firefighter/EMT. Love ever minute of it. Being there to help others in need.

Now I know volunteer firefighter may not be right for you. But I do know most hospitals offer alot of volunteer opportunities


Edit. Ninja'd by jess cause I type slow

[SOCAL4LIFE!!]

Support the troops and do USO. They always need people as well. Honestly the bottom line is keep doing different things until you find what you like doing. Just keep going until you find that gig that just jumps out as perfect for you.

[eklew]

Sully, Jenn and I volunteer at the Weld Food Bank. We basically help them sort out all the food that is donated and help package eggs and some other things like that. It is really sad to see how much food gets thrown out when it is still very good food.

[sprtbkbabe]

If I baked as good as you, I'd do this www.bakinggals.com

[Keyser Soze]

If I baked as good as you, I'd do this www.bakinggals.com (http://www.bakinggals.com)

For some reason I read bukakegals.com :bigeyes:

[Sleev]

You might consider doing work through your job. We have worked at a food bank and raised a ton of money for the march of dimes

[CYCLE_MONKEY]

Do you get clientele or do they just say they would prefer to pay? :bigeyes: LOL
Care to be my first victim, er.....patient? :D

[Think]

I used to volunteer at my local Rescue Squad and got tons of awesome training like EMT and firefighting for free. It also looks great on resumes.

If you love animals, then the Humane Society is awesome like others have mentioned. My mom volunteers for the Washington Humane Society back at home and really enjoys it.

[chad23]

i coach kids football and wrestling. that takes up half my year between the both. we also started adopting a kid per sport and pay their way. stuff like club fees and/or gear

[salsashark]

I used to volunteer with the Denver Explorers Program (http://www.denvergov.org/TrainingBureau/DenverExplorerScoutsPost83/tabid/427393/Default.aspx). It's a great program through the Denver Police Department... I know, the great evil :lol:

Anyways, we would run training scenarios, be victims, coaches, etc... The scenarios were an absolute blast! I can't remember how many times I've been "arrested". It's also nice to see police doing this work because we, as a society in general, are used to only dealing with the popo on a confrontational basis or hear about the bad ones on the news.

They were some great kids, and I really want to get back into it. I had to put it on the back burner when I went back to school.

[tecknojoe]

I used to work for a volunteer cornerworker org back in VA. One of the few cornerworking groups that's still all volunteer. That was a blast. Hopefully cornerworking out here is just as fun.

but yea, cornerworking races isn't the same as helping old people or something

[THoward]

That's how I got started with ABATE 11 years ago. 2 years after joining (and yes it cost me $25 bucks to volunteer lol) I was elected to the Board and have been there ever since in various capacities. All of our Board of Directors and officers of our Districts are volunteers. I was interested in the legislative side of ABATE. Getting fair laws passed and fighting unfair laws and being the watchdogs for motorcyclists. Over the duration I was fortunate enough to become employed by ABATE. The only people in ABATE that get paid are the office staff and our coaches, rightfully so. All the rest of the stuff we do is volunteer hours. One aspect I really enjoy, but don't get to do it often enough, is our Operation Save A Life program. We go to schools, driving schools, senior citizens centers, even safety programs for fleet drivers, anywhere anyone wants to listen to us. We explain motorcycling. We explain why motorcyclists ride on one side or the other of a lane, how much stopping distance a bike needs, why we wear the gear we do..so on and so forth. I can't measure the sucess rate we have had, but it sure feels good knowing that maybe I made someone understand so that they pay attention to bikes out on the road. I still do the volunteer stuff after hours. While it's nice to get paid doing something I like anyway, nothing is more rewarding than to know I am spending my time working on my passion - motorcyclists issues. I hope that my work has at least saved 1 or 2 lives. I was going to try volunteering for an animal shelter, but I'd be bringing them all home with me!! Motorcycles are safer....lol

[chanke4252]

I volunteer................to do free breast exams! :D

does this include man-boobs?

[JDK1962]

Apherisis (plasma and platelets) donation. Doing whole blood donations, you wait 8 weeks between donations, but I think the wait between platelet donations is 48 hours, and it's two weeks on plasma. Since I'm not going for the world record, a plasma/platelets donation every three weeks or so seems to work out fine.

Downside is that you're hooked up to the needle a lot longer than for whole blood (45-110 minutes vs. less than 10). But they let you watch DVDs.

Go to the http://www.bonfils.org (http://www.bonfils.org/) site if interested.

[Shea]

You could always find a nursing home near you and spend some time there :)

[CYCLE_MONKEY]

does this include man-boobs?
.....I just threw up in my mouth......

Actually, men don't think about it, but they get breast cancer too, even if they don't have man-boobs. My friend was told by his Dr. to get his affairs in order immediately when Al finally went to see him about a lump he'd had for years that had finally gotten too big to ignore. Turns out it was benign thankfully, but it scared the hell out of him, and his entire pec muscle on that side is now gone from the emergency surgery.

[Sully]

We were at the dog park this morning and saw 7 greyhounds! A few had muzzles on but they were happy and running around. They are adorable and so soft!

[PhL0aTeR]

We were at the dog park this morning and saw 7 greyhounds! A few had muzzles on but they were happy and running around. They are adorable and so soft!

an interesting fact about them, you can research their race history in the innernetz via tats inside their ears :)

[JonnyD]

^this

We volunteer as foster parents for the Colorado Greyhound Adoption (http://www.greyhoundadoption.com/) org. They have a lot of different opportunities to volunteer your free time other than fostering though, which we also partake in, such as Meet&Greets at different locations, usually the fronts of pet stores where we gather donations, offer information on adopting a greyhound, etc. Some things give you side benefits like if you volunteer at the Ren Faire, you obviously get in for free, and during your "shift" you get an hour or so to walk around and enjoy the other stuff there.

Fostering is a difficult job. Its like having a new puppy every month, and you obviously have to love dogs. When we get dogs retired from the track we usually have to teach them rudimentary activities like walking up and down stairs, potty training in some cases, not chewing on shit, playing, going for walks in populated areas, socializing the foster with other people as well as other dogs that dont look like small horses... lol. We are also tasked with writing up a bio that is published on the CGA site along with a pic of your foster detailing to possible adopters the personality of your pup. CGA provides the crate, a raised feeding/watering dish, muzzle, leashes, food as well as taking care of their initial vet visit and any vet issues that come up while you are fostering! The only thing you are out besides time is gas going to and from the vet, hauls - where we meet a big "doggie livestock truck" straight from the kennels from the track and pick up our fosters.

^sounds hard but its great. we have never gotten a bad dog, although we have had a couple difficult, and we have also fell in love with a few and adopted them... lol.

For the most part, the greyhounds ENJOY retirement, and just lay around, debunking the popular misconception that these guys need a lot of room to run, a house with a big yard, etc...

as long as youve got a couch, you should be good to go... lol





+1 on this as well! I'm in a trickier spot (500 square foot condo with neighbor that sleeps during the day) but I'm currently on foster dog #5. Couch is the most important part. Some of the dogs love to run, so I take fosters to a baseball field a couple times a week and let them cut loose. About 3 laps in, they're done for the day and its back to naptime!

CGA is 100% volunteer, so if anyone is thinking about it and not sure you can foster - there are other opportunities as well!

[SOCAL4LIFE!!]

Always look at your employer for suggestions as well. My old company would donate $500 or maybe it was $750 a year to two NPO's if you worked 40+ hours. It doesn't hurt to ask and can help out the organization even more. All they will have to do is sign a letter saying you worked the time.

[50sGrl]

If you're interested in something longer-term but that doesn't take too much time, you might look into being a CASA volunteer: Court-Appointed Special Advocate. This is someone who is assigned to keep tabs on a child who has been identified by the system as abused or neglected. You would just visit the kid periodically, maintain some contact with school, therapists, etc., and when the case goes to trial, you would submit a report to the court giving your opinion of what would be the best outcome for the child. There's a fairly desperate need for CASA people and each county organization offers complete training.

[pauliep]

I could use a tutor with my essays for college classes.

[SOCAL4LIFE!!]

I could use a tutor with my essays for college classes.

And by tutor you mean someone who will write your paper and allow you to turn it in free of charge right?

[pauliep]

And by tutor you mean someone who will write your paper and allow you to turn it in free of charge right?


By all means I intend to do the work. I have not creative skills in topic development.

[Pharmgirl]

Groupon (http://www.groupon.com/r/uu465584) is running a special deal to participate in Kiva.org (the microfinance website). $15 to loan $25 to third world entrepreneurs! It's actually on the Chicago Groupon site, but there is a link at the top of the page. There are 10 days left and makes an interesting gift!