Volunteering - How can you help?

Several days ago Senator Obama called on all of us to take on the task of volunteering in our communities.  Many of us have no idea of how to even get started on this task and what organizations are out there that can help us meet our community service goals.

Like many of you, I am not particularly interested in participating in additional volunteer activities with my church, nor do I particularly want to get involved in working in a service organization who has significant amounts of their expenses going towards administrative costs.

There are organizations out there that can work for you!

Thank you for reading this far! That means that like me you're looking to help out in your community without having substantial obligations financially or time wise.  For most of us, a simple trip through our local telephone books will point us to all of the organizations that are available in our communities, but we might not know much about the 'parent' organization.  So, here's some background on some of them:

Your Local Lions Club:  Who are Lions?
Lions meet the needs of their local communities and the world.

1.3 million men and women in 202 countries and geographic areas conduct vision and health screenings, build parks, support eye hospitals, award scholarships, assist youth, provide help in time of disaster and much more.

100% of money that is donated to Lions goes to serve the needs of their communities.  All administrative funds are obtained by dues that are paid by Lions Clubs members.

To find a Lions Club in your town: Club Locator

Your Local Rotary Club: Who are Rotarians?

Rotary is a worldwide organization of more than 1.2 million business, professional, and community leaders. Members of Rotary clubs, known as Rotarians, provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help build goodwill and peace in the world.

There are over 32,000 Rotary clubs in more than 200 countries and geographical areas. Clubs are nonpolitical, nonreligious, and open to all cultures, races, and creeds. As signified by the motto Service Above Self, Rotary’s main objective is service — in the community, in the workplace, and throughout the world.

Becoming a Member

Your Local Elks Club

Our Mission

To inculcate the principles of Charity, Justice, Brotherly Love and Fidelity; to recognize a belief in God; to promote the welfare and enhance the happiness of its Members; to quicken the spirit of American patriotism; to cultivate good fellowship; to perpetuate itself as a fraternal organization, and to provide for its government, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of the United States of America will serve the people and communities through benevolent programs, demonstrating that Elks Care and Elks Share.

Learn more about Elks

Masons - Who are Freemasons?

Freemasonry is the oldest and largest world wide fraternity dedicated to the Brotherhood of Man under the Fatherhood of a Supreme Being. Although of a religious nature, Freemasonry is not a religion. It urges its members, however, to be faithful and devoted to their own religious beliefs.

There are other service organizations in many communities.  You should check out as many organizations as possible until you find the one where you feel the most comfortable and most closely reflects your belief in what a community service organization should be.

There are hundreds of other ways you can participate in your community:

Boys & Girls Scouts
Community Centers
Senior Centers
Nursing Homes

Take a look around until you find something that works for you - commit today to working in your community at least one hour per month!

•  Thanks!

  Thanks for reading! Hope to hear how you volunteer in your community!

  by MA Voter on Mon Jul 07, 2008 at 11:52:38 AM PDT

•  Street newspapers

  Always need people to volunteer. I edit a section in ours, and the proceeds go the homeless. I get paid for  this work but a very small sum, so it really turns into more of a volunteer extra-curric. thing than anything else. It's really great to do. There are several of these in the country: Real Change in Washington; Spare Change in Boston...

  Conversely, you always could start one too!

  by Lindahyattyoung on Mon Jul 07, 2008 at 11:59:51 AM PDT

  •  That's good to know

    I wasn't even aware such a thing existed!!

    by MA Voter on Mon Jul 07, 2008 at 12:02:40 PM PDT

•  I am planning on trying to get into the public

  library and volunteer with its rebuilding.  Once the building has been repaired, help will be needed for donations, cataloging, sorting, shelving, etc.

  We lost 2/3 to 3/4 of our library to the Floods.  I love books an awful lot.  I will be donating my 25 +/- year collection of the magazine "Preservation" and my 15 +/- year collection of the magazine "Old House Journal" when there is proper place to put them.  Both magazines deal with historic preservation and rehabilitation of existing structures.

  by nchristine on Mon Jul 07, 2008 at 12:11:12 PM PDT

  •  Local Libraries

    Also often run programs to help those who cannot read. This is a great opportunity for you to start a grass roots effort to promote literacy as well! Good luck with the rebuilding!

    by MA Voter on Mon Jul 07, 2008 at 12:12:46 PM PDT

    •  I'm not the best of people person type and my

      efforts would best go to 'behind the scenes' work.

      The Library/community does have a literacy/education program.  My mom helped with it for several years - reading to littles at elementary schools and math with adults.  Then she couldn't get around much.....

      by nchristine on Mon Jul 07, 2008 at 12:24:28 PM PDT

      •  I love reading to kids in my uniform, because the

        first two questions are always the same variations of ...

        "Do you fly planes? What do you do?"

        Can't tell them

        "Have you shot and killed some badguys?"

        Do I look like the type of guy to do that?

        YEAH!!!!!!!

        by fromdabak on Mon Jul 07, 2008 at 12:37:21 PM PDT

        •  I posted to soon....

          Well not everyone in the military kills, kids...

          AHHHH!!!! Expressing their disappointment, however it lets me off the hook from answering their question.....

          by fromdabak on Mon Jul 07, 2008 at 12:40:28 PM PDT

          •  I sort of gathered

            From your responsible post that your response to them would be similar to that <grin>

            by MA Voter on Mon Jul 07, 2008 at 01:19:35 PM PDT

            •  My fault.....

              by fromdabak on Mon Jul 07, 2008 at 01:21:05 PM PDT

•  Just about all of my voluteering is tinged

  with politics.

  I did do a shift earlier this summer helping clear out invasive plants from a park, but even that was done while wearing Democratic gear.

  I spend my extra time phonebanking, doorbelling, registering voters. I'm your basic party hack, I guess:-(

  by bleeding blue on Mon Jul 07, 2008 at 12:13:59 PM PDT

  •  Nothing wrong

    With that :)  But there are hundreds of other ways to get involved that don't include politics if you're looking for something different :)

    by MA Voter on Mon Jul 07, 2008 at 12:24:35 PM PDT

•  I have to volunteer because it's a part of the

  process and it fills the block for our annual reports.  I try volunteering with youth sport programs.  When I was single, I worked with less fortunate kids and they really appreciated having a male figurehead that wasn't in and out of jail in their lives.  The saddest part was when the seasons ended, or when you would drop them off after a game and no one was home (late!!!!!).....  You wish you could just hold the kids and tell them everything will be alright, but you can't.....

  by fromdabak on Mon Jul 07, 2008 at 12:32:28 PM PDT

  •  Unfortunately

    Any time you volunteer you're always going to run into variations of that theme.  It's a sad but true side effect.  Hopefully knowing that you are there offers some relief to stressful home situations!

    by MA Voter on Mon Jul 07, 2008 at 12:38:36 PM PDT

•  Meeting people

  I've moved around alot in my life and whenever I get to a new town the first thing I do is find places to volunteer.  It's a great way to meet people and besides, volunteering is a great way to turn "town" into "home".

  A few tips if I may:
  Never underestimate the value of donating time. I currently volunteer with the local library. We do not have the money for a paid staff - without volunteers we would have to close the doors.  I'm not a librarian by any means but I can sit at a desk and check out books with the best of them.

  Be realistic about your time and what you are capable of. I was a volunteer EMT. In Alaska, virtually all emergency services except for police are volunteer organizations.  There just isn't any money for paid staff. It was a huge commitment of time but I knew I could manage it better than others because I didn't have any kids to worry about and my job allowed me to drop everything and run when the call came. I also knew I could handle the blood and guts and the emotional aspects that would create severe problems for others. It was a job that needed to be done and I believed I could manage it.  On the other hand - I would never volunteer to work with children in any setting.  I'm not very good with kids and quite frankly they scare the shit out of me - especially when they know they've got me outnumbered.

  Do at least one thing that is just fun. Not every volunteer job has to be of Major Importance and not every organization has to be Seriously Intent on Saving the World. I hawk T-shirts at a local summer art festival. I get to be silly and use all of my bad jokes and annoy people and get sunburned and generally have a great time.  It's not like I'm saving the whales or anything but it is fun and the sales money pays for the important festival stuff like Port-a-Potties and banjo players.

  Don't be afraid to quit. Things change.  I retired as an EMT because I could not handle the physical parts - lifing stretchers, etc. - any longer.  Sometimes you just burn out.  In EMS they always tell you that you have to take care of yourself before you can help others.  It's good advise for any volunteer.

  by emt on Mon Jul 07, 2008 at 01:01:33 PM PDT

  •  Absolutely

    You are correct. Check with your organizations members - many of the service organizations also do social events that involve the whole family and take some of the edge of volunteering your time.  Work hard, play hard!

    by MA Voter on Mon Jul 07, 2008 at 01:03:15 PM PDT