When I was in high school I volunteered annually for the organization Planned Famine. It impacted me me in that it helped me to realize how lucky I and my family are to have to food to eat on a daily basis. Other families all over the world go hungry everyday. This opportunity allowed me to do something about that at least once a year.
Having volunteered for a variety of causes over the years, the experience that impacted me the most from all of my experiences was volunteering for Make-A-Wish. Being one more set of hand’s that helped in planning, picking out music, building a life sized wooden castle, painting props, and blowing up and positioning balloons is not an easy feat to accomplish over 24 hours. At the time I remember wishing I could go home because it was simply too much work… working through the night when you’re not even getting paid was definitely a psychological barrier that I had to overcome when volunteering. The reward came when the Make-A-Wish child came through the door. Sarah walked in with her tiara, all 3 feet 4 inches of her, she smiled and lit up the room. Knowing that I got to help make someone’s last wish possible, something as sweet as being princess for the day, as was Sarah’s last wish-- it’s not an experience you ever forget.
I slice a potato thinly with a mandolin, brush the slices with oil and Chinese 5-spice, sprinkle with salt, and bake in my toaster oven for 15 minutes, turning over and brushing the other side halfway through. Delicious potato chips for one!
I love volunteering but I'm painfully shy so I try to stay away from opportunities where I would need to interact with others. I'm much better at just plain physical work like sorting and packing (which I do at the local food bank) and cleaning and drying (at Clean the World where they repurpose used hotel soaps) or help with building or cleaning a home (with Home Builders) but my very favorite is always going to be helping out at the local animal shelter. I'd happily talk to and play with and feed dogs and cats all day long if I didn't have to work for a living!!
I can't say I've had one life-changing experience other than maybe the first time I volunteered. It is hard, especially for us shy people, to take that first step into the abyss. But now, I try to volunteer often. It is a good thing to do so good for your soul and takes you outside of your own mind for a bit, should you need it.
I volunteered at my local animal shelter. I just wanted to pet, love and help feed/bathe all those animals that didn't have a forever home yet. I felt complete joy helping the shelter out, even if meant cleaning the litter boxes and dog kennels. I knew I was helping these homeless animals and it was wonderful to give them attention/interaction they craved. Once my little one gets older, I will go back to volunteering at the animal shelters send bring her with me to help too!
It’s true that the detoxification of body should be done scientifically, and it will be far better to use some organic products, such as Essiac tea for removing toxins and make you full of health and vigour.
I once volunteered at a hospice and was with a lady with Alzheimer's and this was tough to deal with so I have respect for people suffering and having to take of the people going through such a terrible illness.
Volunteering to do a river clean up in my hometown had a great impact on me. It was wonderful to see the community coming together to make where we live a cleaner place for both us and the wildlife.
When I was in college I volunteered a couple days a week in a 1st grade classroom. With class sizes getting so big, both the teacher and the kids were excited to have some extra help in the classroom. At the end of the school year, the kids put together a thank you book to show me their gratitude for my time helping them. It really made me feel like I had made a difference in their lives.
I like to keep $5 gift cards to places like McDonalds or Wendys in my car so when I see a homeless person on a street corner asking for money, I can hand them a gift card and know they will be able to have at least one meal that day. It may not be volunteering, but it is helping someone in need!
One year right before Christmas I went to a retirement home and played Christmas carols on the piano for the folks who lived there. The look of joy on their faces was something I will never forget and hearing them sing along to their favorite carols made the experience so much fun!
Love this! Animals really are such great healers. How wonderful of you and Ryan to share your sweet Shadow with those that could benefit from her presence.
One of the most memorable volunteer experiences I've ever had was fostering an adorable shepherd mix puppy until it could find a permanent home. It was so tough letting him go when a permanent home became available, but giving him the time he needed outside of a shelter to find a loving home was a wonderful experience!
Same goes with my HTC Desire X - no mic circuit, no headset visible for the phone. I'm building now a headset for my motorbike helmet, and all your comments and ideas were incredibly helpful. I'll let you know if it all works fine.
I understand where you are coming from Katrina. FYI Oprah grew up dirt poor and it is a result of many choices she made that landed her where she is today. I agree that a billionaire is not the best spokesperson to tell us how regular folks like us should live, but we all make choices that affect our financial position every day. I work in retail, (I don't make a lot of money) and a woman came in and wanted to buy a roll of Tums. She dug around in her brand new Coach purse for about 2 minutes and said she must have forgot her wallet at home. She left to go scrounge around in her car for some change and still came up short of the $1.18 for the roll of Tums. It is all about choices we make. And the hardest part for a lot of people to grasp is that you don't need a million dollars to live a financially secure and perfectly happy life.
When I was in high school I volunteered annually for the organization Planned Famine. It impacted me me in that it helped me to realize how lucky I and my family are to have to food to eat on a daily basis. Other families all over the world go hungry everyday. This opportunity allowed me to do something about that at least once a year.
Having volunteered for a variety of causes over the years, the experience that impacted me the most from all of my experiences was volunteering for Make-A-Wish. Being one more set of hand’s that helped in planning, picking out music, building a life sized wooden castle, painting props, and blowing up and positioning balloons is not an easy feat to accomplish over 24 hours. At the time I remember wishing I could go home because it was simply too much work… working through the night when you’re not even getting paid was definitely a psychological barrier that I had to overcome when volunteering. The reward came when the Make-A-Wish child came through the door. Sarah walked in with her tiara, all 3 feet 4 inches of her, she smiled and lit up the room. Knowing that I got to help make someone’s last wish possible, something as sweet as being princess for the day, as was Sarah’s last wish-- it’s not an experience you ever forget.
I slice a potato thinly with a mandolin, brush the slices with oil and Chinese 5-spice, sprinkle with salt, and bake in my toaster oven for 15 minutes, turning over and brushing the other side halfway through. Delicious potato chips for one!
Volunteering at our local homeless shelter had the most impact on me.
I love volunteering but I'm painfully shy so I try to stay away from opportunities where I would need to interact with others. I'm much better at just plain physical work like sorting and packing (which I do at the local food bank) and cleaning and drying (at Clean the World where they repurpose used hotel soaps) or help with building or cleaning a home (with Home Builders) but my very favorite is always going to be helping out at the local animal shelter. I'd happily talk to and play with and feed dogs and cats all day long if I didn't have to work for a living!!
I can't say I've had one life-changing experience other than maybe the first time I volunteered. It is hard, especially for us shy people, to take that first step into the abyss. But now, I try to volunteer often. It is a good thing to do so good for your soul and takes you outside of your own mind for a bit, should you need it.
I volunteered at my local animal shelter. I just wanted to pet, love and help feed/bathe all those animals that didn't have a forever home yet. I felt complete joy helping the shelter out, even if meant cleaning the litter boxes and dog kennels. I knew I was helping these homeless animals and it was wonderful to give them attention/interaction they craved. Once my little one gets older, I will go back to volunteering at the animal shelters send bring her with me to help too!
It’s true that the detoxification of body should be done scientifically, and it will be far better to use some organic products, such as Essiac tea for removing toxins and make you full of health and vigour.
I once volunteered at a hospice and was with a lady with Alzheimer's and this was tough to deal with so I have respect for people suffering and having to take of the people going through such a terrible illness.
Volunteering to do a river clean up in my hometown had a great impact on me. It was wonderful to see the community coming together to make where we live a cleaner place for both us and the wildlife.
When I was in college I volunteered a couple days a week in a 1st grade classroom. With class sizes getting so big, both the teacher and the kids were excited to have some extra help in the classroom. At the end of the school year, the kids put together a thank you book to show me their gratitude for my time helping them. It really made me feel like I had made a difference in their lives.
I like to keep $5 gift cards to places like McDonalds or Wendys in my car so when I see a homeless person on a street corner asking for money, I can hand them a gift card and know they will be able to have at least one meal that day. It may not be volunteering, but it is helping someone in need!
One year right before Christmas I went to a retirement home and played Christmas carols on the piano for the folks who lived there. The look of joy on their faces was something I will never forget and hearing them sing along to their favorite carols made the experience so much fun!
How adorable! What a sweet thing to spend your Christmas doing.
This is so awesome! What a wonderful non-profit for your friend to start. I absolutely love that idea!
Love this! Animals really are such great healers. How wonderful of you and Ryan to share your sweet Shadow with those that could benefit from her presence.
Sometimes seeing what other people don't have really makes you appreciate what you do have. Great story Donna. Thank you for sharing!
That is fantastic you have something you can do to make a difference with your boyfriend! I think that's just awesome. :)
Needles are definitely my biggest fear! Kudos to you for finding ways to still participate in the blood drive!
So true, language barriers shouldn't stop people from being able to voice their opinions. Wonderful thing you are doing!
That is awesome! It's always wonderful when you can make life easier for people.
LOVE this Nancy! I'm sure the girl and boy you gave books to will never forget your generosity. So sweet! :)
One of the most memorable volunteer experiences I've ever had was fostering an adorable shepherd mix puppy until it could find a permanent home. It was so tough letting him go when a permanent home became available, but giving him the time he needed outside of a shelter to find a loving home was a wonderful experience!
Awesome! Classic! I love it! Thanks for the reminder which we all need every once in awhile. Bookmarked. Pinned. Thanks!
Same goes with my HTC Desire X - no mic circuit, no headset visible for the phone. I'm building now a headset for my motorbike helmet, and all your comments and ideas were incredibly helpful. I'll let you know if it all works fine.
I understand where you are coming from Katrina. FYI Oprah grew up dirt poor and it is a result of many choices she made that landed her where she is today. I agree that a billionaire is not the best spokesperson to tell us how regular folks like us should live, but we all make choices that affect our financial position every day. I work in retail, (I don't make a lot of money) and a woman came in and wanted to buy a roll of Tums. She dug around in her brand new Coach purse for about 2 minutes and said she must have forgot her wallet at home. She left to go scrounge around in her car for some change and still came up short of the $1.18 for the roll of Tums. It is all about choices we make. And the hardest part for a lot of people to grasp is that you don't need a million dollars to live a financially secure and perfectly happy life.