Volunteer Work 'Cause It's So Awesome

  • dally winston.

    dally winston. (100)

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    I volunteer for Hospice of Michigan running the special events, fundraisers, charity events, etc. I'm usually the one selling raffle tickets or bartending (depending where it's at).

    I'm also a student teacher at my old high school. I co-teach the sign language class, I help out with the first year ASL students. :3
    April 9th, 2013 at 08:42am
  • folie a dru.

    folie a dru. (1270)

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    I'm going to two community-orientated completely volunteer-run camping festivals this year. One is Burning Man. One is Interfuse. I'm volunteering for clean up at Interfuse, which is cleaning up after everyone leaves Sunday. Left behind stuff, basically. We "leave no trace". Afterward, we get to have a little party and another burn. We [my boyfriend and I] are not going to officially volunteer for Burning Man, as it is much bigger. Instead, we're going to do spontaneous volunteer work wherever needed. (One hour a day trash clean up, volunteer to wash dishes in the cafe, etc.) The spirit of community and gifting tends to lend itself to a lot of people helping where there is need.
    April 11th, 2013 at 04:29am
  • Weeping.Willow

    Weeping.Willow (105)

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    I've volunteered for homeless shelters and things like that. For my senior project I started a food drive for a homeless shelter and a shoe drive, both went better than I anticipated. Recently though I've signed up as a volunteer for the Color Vibe that's coming to my town in June, it's the same thing as the color run pretty much, so I'm really stoked on that too Very Happy It's always great meeting new people and feeling better for helping out too
    April 17th, 2013 at 06:09am
  • January Rose

    January Rose (100)

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    I LOVE volunteering. I love benefiting others for the greater good.
    Since I'm only 14, my options are limited. (But I still try and get out there though)

    2 years ago I went to Haiti and helped out. Even though I only went for a week, it benefited me and kind-of changed me. In Canada (or wherever you live) you don't realize how unbelievably blessed you are. You get food, water, medication and education. Most people in Haiti are uneducated and starving. They don't get iPods or Wiis or X-box 360s.
    While we worry about small things like: proms, boys (or girls if you're a guy), or getting the newest technology thing.... the people of Haiti worry about their next meal, or trying to find a medical clinic (which are extremely rare) to get life-saving medication for themselves or family members.
    Haiti needs out help. Don't turn your back on a country that is literally dyeing.
    Message me. Smile
    April 24th, 2013 at 01:58am
  • Mogar.

    Mogar. (250)

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    I just started volunteering at the local Petsmart. I get to play with the kitties and feed them and clean up after them. I even had the inside scoop on all the kitties, so I can find them a home with people I know that wants to adopt them.

    I tend to stay a long time, just because I want to play with the animals. :)
    April 26th, 2013 at 05:01am
  • Sara

    Sara (100)

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    Well, you all sound like you're saving the world and stuff, but I volunteer at festivals. Like a beer fest that's coming up.

    Yeaaaaaa.
    April 26th, 2013 at 06:55pm
  • purple haze.

    purple haze. (220)

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    I volunteer at a charity shop in my town. It's usually quiet but I've had some strange people coming in and chatting rubbish to me XD
    May 11th, 2013 at 09:00pm
  • Rooskaya;

    Rooskaya; (155)

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    I volunteer at the local library, I've been doing it since 2008. At first it was an accident, I didn't even know I was volunteering until I got a thank you letter in the mail from the head librarian. I thought I was just being helpful by shelving books and whatnot. Then I started putting in more hours when I hurt my knee, more in my senior year because I needed to do some project or another, and then in between school and college. It keeps be busy, and it's a fun busy. I've known the librarians since I was really young, and the rest since they started working there because I've just been part of it there. To not volunteer there, even if I go long gaps of not helping out, is just out of the question. It's also a nice feeling when the head librarian, knows that if there's an emergency, she calls me to see if I can hep out -- be it a sale, baking, or a fill in.

    It also helped with my first job, just got it and the supervisor/manager/whoever she is, was really really pleased with my past/present/current volunteer position, especially since it shows how I've been able to move up in the ranks there. With the library, even though it's volunteer they treat it like a real job. If you're a constant presence you get to move up, you go from dusting and shelving books and helping people to computer work, to desk work, to the back room, to prepping books for shelves. Although for desk work you have to be 18, so I skipped that step and went back to it once I was 18. It's probably the one thing I'm really proud of and love doing. Now that I'm on summer break, I'm building up on hours for the library when I'm not working.

    Another plus, it's going to look great on my resume.
    May 12th, 2013 at 02:19am
  • peter quill.

    peter quill. (4975)

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    I volunteer at a local museum. I initially did a placement there, and then stayed on because they like me. I've done events photography, helped out front of house staff, done admin tasks in the office, made Christmas decorations, and recently I started helping out at their events for pre-school children. Before I went to uni I volunteered in a school's library, which was pretty boring now I compare it to the stuff I've been doing at the museum because I spent a lot of time just tidying shelves XD
    February 17th, 2014 at 01:50am
  • Jack Donaghy

    Jack Donaghy (450)

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    @ newton geiszler.
    It's funny that you say that, because when I was reading the first part of your post, I was thinking that sounds like a lot of the stuff I do at the library where I work. XD Definitely understand finding volunteering at a library boring, though. I always feel bad leaving the shelf-tidying to our pages. It's very, very important to the library & keeping things functioning... and also something I really, really don't want to do. XD
    I volunteer doing ESL at a different library from the one I work at and it's one of the highlights of my week. My student is awesome, I love helping her learn, and I love getting a chance to think about the extreme weirdness of the English language. Plus sometimes she brings me snacks!
    February 17th, 2014 at 09:26pm
  • lonely girl.

    lonely girl. (250)

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    I volunteer at my school library. In year seven and eight I would volunteer for maybe four hours a week? It's shortened to two now, if I'm lucky. My current school library doesn't need much help unfortunately.

    I'm also going to start volunteering at music festivals / gigs.

    Around Christmas I want to volunteer at the Salvos, last year I was too young to do anything other than wrap presents (I suck at wrapping presents - I just stick them in a bag), which is kind of silly but whatever.
    February 22nd, 2014 at 10:49am
  • fen'harel

    fen'harel (560)

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    I volunteer at two different places.

    One, I give talks about mental health issues in various populations at the Mexican consulate in the border city that I live in.

    Two, I coordinate talks with different groups to be given to the Community Health Worker program at university. This March 8 we're having the Rainbow Miner Initiative Speak Outs talking to the CHWs about the LGBTQI community.
    February 22nd, 2014 at 06:52pm
  • aubs

    aubs (420)

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    I used to volunteer at my local library in the summer helping out with the summer camps, but I stopped doing that.
    June 7th, 2014 at 09:46pm
  • kitsch

    kitsch (195)

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    I tried volunteering at a retirement home because I love old people. But it was really uncomfortable for me because we had to "perform" for the old people in addition to pushing them to and from rooms via their wheelchairs. I don't have any talents to showcase to them so I felt pretty useless during the performance part. I don't think I would do it again because of that little tidbit.

    I really enjoy cleaning up the beaches where I live though. It's really therapeutic if you bring a friend or family member and just beautify the shoreline. Cute There are annual beach clean ups but I don't have anyone to go with most of the time so.

    What I want to try is volunteering in other countries like my uncle does. You get to interact with the people in the communities there as you volunteer. That seems like something I'd want to do at least once.
    June 8th, 2014 at 08:59am
  • midnight lover.

    midnight lover. (110)

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    This last semester I volunteered doing a couple different things and I loved doing both of them!

    The first is called Pen Friends and you write a letter once a week to a 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th grader (you get assigned a grade); these weekly letters are supposed to help them improve on grammar, spelling, and penmanship. I got a 1st grader and let me tell you I looked forward to his letters every week. We had weekly themes so I would always write whatever topic we had for the week but his replies were always so cute and he always drew little pictures along with his letters.

    The second thing I did was volunteering with an organisation that feeds and clothes the homeless. It was such an eye opening experience. I got to help pass out food and help them find clothing. I even talked to some of them which was so cool because a lot of them were some of the most genuine people I've ever had conversations with.
    June 11th, 2014 at 04:48pm
  • herpy berpy.

    herpy berpy. (170)

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    Throughout my course, I have to do two placements at a real-world early childhood centre. I'm three weeks off finishing my first placement. Me and my classmates don't get paid (but I don't mind because it's so fun!)
    June 13th, 2014 at 07:57am
  • solo sunrise

    solo sunrise (260)

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    I volunteered in the Astronomy (expanding universe) area of a new science museum and got to take a tour of it before it opened. Everyone skipped my hall because they wanted to see the dinosaurs instead (they're not going anywhere, I promise). I also get access to certain areas of the basement. Before, I volunteered in the old science museum; the basement there was much cooler.

    I've also volunteered at a children's zoo and they trusted me enough to handle the snakes and paint the kids' faces.
    June 19th, 2014 at 07:38am
  • southpaw

    southpaw (565)

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    In 2011-2012 I volunteered at an animal shelter down the road from my house. It was initially for school, but I got really attached to a few of the dogs and cats. :,)

    In early 2013 I also volunteered at a local elementary school to help out with their Fuel Up to Play60 program and set it up. It was a reminder of how out-of-touch I am with today's kids, but it was a good time because I volunteered with a group of friends and we all got to interact with some really passionate people.
    June 30th, 2014 at 02:40am
  • Valerie.

    Valerie. (115)

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    I'm hoping to do some voulenteer work next month with CanTeen to get out on the streets and sell some bandannas on National Bandanna Day.
    September 26th, 2014 at 01:06pm
  • Sharkey's Day

    Sharkey's Day (100)

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    I volunteer at the middle/high school library every Monday, sometimes more often.
    Apparently, the library was closed for a number of years because they didn't have the staff to keep it open. However, now there are a few volunteers and a student librarian that keep it open every morning.
    I love the kid librarian; he torments me, but I love him.
    October 30th, 2017 at 02:12am