Ship of Fools: Volunteering

Thread: Volunteering Board: Oblivion / Ship of Fools.

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Posted by Boogie (# 13538) on :

Are you a volunteer?

What do you do?

Do you enjoy it?

I raise pups for Guide Dogs and I'm a 'My Guide' for blind and VI people who are not able to have a dog. I love every minute.

If you'd like a new way to volunteer at I recommend this app - called BeSpecular, it's great! It uses audio and text to describe photos for blind and VI people. I've described food cartons, fun photos, shirts and many other things. Enjoyable for the sighted person and useful for the VI person.

BeSpecular

Posted by jacobsen (# 14998) on :

I was a street pastor until the hips made 4-6 hours' walking slowly on city streets too painful. Also, the 20+ mile drive home after 3 AM as a bit much. So I sought a more sedentary way of contributing.

Posted by Sarasa (# 12271) on :

I volunteer in our local charity bookshop. Yes, I enjoy it as it keeps my librarian's skills going and it's teaching me new ones, such as using electronic tills.
They are also a very nice bunch of people to work with, and I enjoy chatting to the customers too.

Posted by Uncle Pete (# 10422) on :

In my early retirement, I volunteered as an Elder reader, reading with exceptional and later special needs kids. During that same period I also volunteered (and still do volunteer) with my local Scouting groups. Received my 30 year pin last year. Next up (if I'm spared) will be 35 years in 2020.No longer work with kids but I am fairly active behind the scenes.

Posted by Piglet (# 11803) on :

Shortly after we moved to Canada, the Cathedral office was looking for volunteers, and as I wasn't allowed to do paid work at that stage, I offered my services, and for the next 13 years I did an afternoon or two a week, producing the weekly bulletin. I also answered the phone, entered the collections into a computer system and occasionally showed tourists round if they turned up on spec and there were no tour guides about.

For the most part I enjoyed it - it was keeping my hand in with office work - only occasionally I thought, "I could really do without having to do this", usually if there was 3 feet of snow on the ground.

Posted by North East Quine (# 13049) on :

I do the usual church stuff; welcome duty rota, Sunday school helper rota, tea lady rota, outreach committee, ecumenical committee, Kirk Session, but I'm also the church genealogist. Our church is surrounded by a very old graveyard, so we get occasional letters from people wanting to trace their family history. I love doing this and feel that it is a way of witnessing to people who sometimes have no other contact with the church. I try to go beyond dates and places to create a story.

I'm also a volunteer walk leader on a heritage walk (summer only).

Posted by Baptist Trainfan (# 15128) on :

My wife does a morning each week at a charity shop, another morning archiving at our regional Dance Centre (plus ushering at performances), she is also the local co-ordinator for Christian Aid.

It strikes me that there are two kinds of volunteers. Some are highly committed, dependable, professional in their approach, just get on with it. Others though volunteer "on their own terms", frequently drop out of promised commitments, resist training or being managed, want to be thanked for every small thing. There's a world of difference between the two.

Posted by Pigwidgeon (# 10192) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Baptist Trainfan:
It strikes me that there are two kinds of volunteers. Some are highly committed, dependable, professional in their approach, just get on with it. Others though volunteer "on their own terms", frequently drop out of promised commitments, resist training or being managed, want to be thanked for every small thing. There's a world of difference between the two.

There are two kinds of volunteer coordinators as well. There have been a couple organizations where I tried to volunteer but they made it very difficult. I was neglected (e.g., left off schedules), treated like a non-person, ignored, made to feel guilty for not putting in more time, etc. Would it kill them to say an occasional "thanks"?

Posted by Graven Image (# 8755) on :

I have done a variety of volunteer jobs since retiring, greeter and film library volunteer at the senior center, church thrift shop, and the one I enjoyed the most was teaching religious and art classes and creating spiritual walks.
Last year we had a large forrest fire so there is ongoing volunteer work to be done there, as many lost their homes. Now my work seems to be connecting those who wish to help from out of the area with those seeking support, rather then helping myself. Now because of illness I do not feel very dependable so I have given up on site volunteering and still run the web page for a non profit. I have my eye open for things I might do from home or on my own time schedule.

Posted by Arabella Purity Winterbottom (# 3434) on :

Not currently, as my job involves working at different times each week, but in the past I volunteered as a literacy tutor at the local men's prison, and as a support worker for Women's Refuge.

I loved them both, for completely different reasons. The prison work was completely outside my comfort zone, but it was fantastic to see the guys get more able to negotiate their way through reading in day-to-day life (e.g., forms, info sheets).

Posted by no prophet's flag is set so... (# 15560) on :

I mostly seem to always be doing something. I worked in gov't for a spell for a decade that's the only time I didn't. After becoming self employed for the next 25 years, it seemed although I worked many more hours, I did a lot more. Now that I'm slowing work down, it's been a bit less.

My longest duration volunteer things have been various committees with the church, whether parish or diocese (it seems that once they've 'got you' they don't let go easily). I'm back to a dio cttee this fall. For a lengthy spell did therapy dog visits to hospitals and nursing homes with St John Ambulance, and qualified as an assessor for potential doggies. Also was a scout leader, until the troop shifted away from going on wilderness trips.

I'm considering the local cycling advocacy group's invitation this fall when the executive turns over. They've been after an older adult rep.

I think the main reward is social. Meeting people I wouldn't otherwise, and we don't need to go to the effort of being friends. Though I've met some friends volunteering.

I worry sometimes that volunteering isn't alway a value-added thing for organizations. They have to keep the vols happy and some are rather demanding. I think it runs better when, although not paid, volunteers are more like employees than not.

Posted by sabine (# 3861) on :

I volunteer as a refugee advocate, which is similar to what I did before I retired. The difference is that I now have the opportunity to take a day off now and then. [Smile]

And I no longer have clearance to get on certain official websites, which is ok with me.

I imagine (if there are no major health problems) I will be doing this volunteer work for as long as I can. I am also caring for my 95 year old mother (along with others), but so far, I've managed to make it work doing both.

sabine

Posted by Gill H (# 68) on :

My employer has a volunteering scheme - you can have up to 5 days a year (or equivalent hours) paid time off to volunteer.

I'm currently volunteering at a Singing For The Brain group run by the Alzheimer's Society. It's really enjoyable and so rewarding to see people's faces light up when we sing a familiar song.

It runs for 12 sessions and I will really miss it when it comes to an end. I wish there was one nearer me which I could do in my own time!

Posted by daisydaisy (# 12167) on :

One morning a week I volunteer as a teacher of English to refugees and asylum seekers, who are all "pre-entry", some starting with no English at all, and some who have never learned to read or write. Most are unfamiliar with our set of letters, and most are unfamiliar with numbers which I also need to help them with.

The same day I also help at a Mums and Tots group, setting the room up, making tea, chatting and clearing the toys away.

Another day I refurbish Singer sewing machines for Tools For Self Reliance, who package them up into kits for newly qualified tailors in 5 African countries.

In between I also look after the website, Facebook and Twitter for the local Foodbank.

One evening most weeks I am a volunteer usher at the theatre attached to the nearby Uni or at a more local arts centre, which means that I get to see great shows and concerts for free!

I love retirement [Yipee]

Posted by Hilda of Whitby (# 7341) on :

I volunteer at the library of the history museum in my city. I am a retired catalog librarian and am working on cataloging the library's fascinating collection of photographs. It's a terrific use of my skills and the collection is amazing. I am so lucky and grateful to have this volunteer gig.

I am also thinking of taking on another voluntary activity--in a soup kitchen or food pantry, or visiting an elderly person in an assisted living facility or nursing home, or doing literacy work.

A great thing about being retired is having the time to volunteer.

Posted by Welease Woderwick (# 10424) on :

I've been thinking I don't really do any volunteering but I then realised that doing spoken English with students free, gratis and for nothing sort of qualifies somewhere along the line. Generally it is fun, too.

Posted by Huia (# 3473) on :

I volunteer at a local Catholic Primary school (years 1 to 8). I have been there for about 15 years off and on. When the new Principal asked me what I did I said I saw my job as making the teachers jobs easier. This involves photocopying and laminating classroom resources, preparing, shelving and repairing the readers used by the Junior classes and assisting the paid Teacher Aide with the Library and anything else that needs doing.

Because my hearing is not the best I didn't offer to have children read to me, but I am always available to make encouraging noises about the work the children produce. Many years ago I trained as a primary school teacher so it felt like this was a place where I could offer support.

The school is Decile 1, which means it is in a poorer area and so receives more Government funding than one in a more wealthy area.

I am not Catholic, but love working there because it is a lot more caring of the students and their families than some of the other schools where I've worked.

Huia

Posted by Latchkey Kid (# 12444) on :

Since retirement I do landcare, wildlife rescues, and am a radio operator with Volunteer marine rescue.

But my major volunteering stems from chaplaincy. Apart from providing spiritual care at my local hospital I provide technical leadership to my chaplaincy academy (where all the staff are volunteers) and am introducing online learning using Moodle. We are hopefully piloting a course in Term 1 2017. I also do relief training when required.

Posted by Boogie (# 13538) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Hilda of Whitby:

A great thing about being retired is having the time to volunteer.

Oh yes, I agree!

I love being busy and productive without the need to earn money.

Posted by daisydaisy (# 12167) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Boogie:

quote:
Originally posted by Hilda of Whitby:

A great thing about being retired is having the time to volunteer.
Oh yes, I agree!

I love being busy and productive without the need to earn money.

I agree - and I also love the luxury of having variety and balance.

Posted by Goldfish Stew (# 5512) on :

Just popping in to say that while I don't have a significant amount of time to volunteer at the moment, I have about 30 volunteers filling valuable roles and bringing joy and meaning for residents at the care facility that I manage, and I can tell you volunteers are very much appreciated* and bring so much.

*ok, honesty time, there is the odd exception

Posted by Curiosity killed ... (# 11770) on :

I thought I wasn't volunteering at the moment and then remembered I am assistant leader for a local Guides pack and to that end have been putting together Christmas decorations this weekend - ribbons on bead trefoils and gluing on star beads with ribbons on MDF hearts with pyrography names. Next job is painting the backs of salt dough decorations and to string them on ribbons.

Posted by Uncle Pete (# 10422) on :

Scouting isn't actually volunteering, as the old lags all know. It is a way of life which overrides whatever your life may have been before.

[Razz]

Posted by mark_in_manchester (# 15978) on :

quote:
Others though volunteer "on their own terms"...resist training or being managed

I'm guilty of this (but not the other negative tropes on your list, I hope). I've been somewhat savaged by organisations with whom I've volunteered in the past, and it's made me wary. Still, I'm just past 26 years as a volunteer adult ed music tutor - originally with ex-offenders, these days with alcoholic and other lonely old men. The gap between tutor and tutee is closing fast, and most have better teeth than I do [Smile]

Posted by blackbeard (# 10848) on :

I help with sailing for disabled.
(Some would say: any excuse to go messing about in boats!)

Posted by Martha (# 185) on :

I volunteer at a playgroup, helping set up and do the craft activity. Being a stay at home mum is a little like being retired, although with a few more restrictions on your time!

Our local council is trying to turn several of the libraries over to being volunteer-run. It'll be interesting to see how that goes. Depending on circumstances, I may see if I can help out at all.

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