Do you volunteer? What do you do? How did you get into it?
We moved this summer and I'm home with both kids (4 and almost 1) feeling like I want to do something more, but not quite sure what I want to put time into.
Post by formerlyak on Oct 28, 2016 15:18:41 GMT -5
Your kids are young, which rules out the volunteer work I do (because it involves their activities), but I do or have done:
- sports team mom - volunteer with the local ed foundation - Cub Scout Den leader - room parent
Something my bff does that she loves and might be able to be done when your DH is not at work is interview applicants to our college that live in her area and interview potential alumni scholarship recipients for our college.
I am on the board of our co-op preschool and I volunteer in my older son's kindergarten classroom. I also give blood regularly. Most of our charity stuff is in the form of money these days because my H works a ton and paying a babysitter so that I can go volunteer is generally not as helpful as me just giving the money directly to our favorite charities. I encourage anyone that is new to an area to look into a co-op preschool - it is a fantastic way to build a community for yourself.
Post by pinkdutchtulips on Oct 28, 2016 15:27:35 GMT -5
I do ....
GS (troop leader, school troop coordinator, exec board local service unit) PTA committee chair (Family Night) Classroom parent (I grade timed math tests over the weekend) My church's Altar Guild committee
I didn't start volunteering until AFTER DD started school
I volunteer mostly at school. I'm the class parent and I also sit on the PA and help with office work there. Right now that is about all I can on but I find it very rewarding. When the kids are older I want to take a regular shift at the local soup kitchen.
I volunteered for a bit at our local animal shelter. I mostly walked dogs, did laundry, cleaned litter boxes, and sorted donations. But then I got pregnant and found it difficult to find the time. It was great while it lasted though.
I volunteer at our children's hospital, holding babies in the NICU. It's the best thing in the whole world. Once I quit my job I hope to be able to also volunteer at the girls' school.
I volunteer with our local suicide prevention hotline. I stumbled upon it when I was looking for job opportunities that aligned with my interest in mental health.
Now that J is in school, I volunteer to read to his class and bake for bake sales. I'm also hoping to get involved with the alumni association more, and with the development office. I dabbled in fundraising at my former job so I'd love to brush up on those skills more and put them to use for J's school.
Post by starburst604 on Oct 28, 2016 15:44:21 GMT -5
I used to volunteer at the local ASPCA, in the cat room. I assisted with adoptions and general care of the cats - cleaning litterboxes, feeding/watering, laundry. It was once a week for a few hours after work. I stopped when I moved and the location wasn't easy for me to get to anymore. It's been hard lately with parenting and working 2 jobs, but I'd like to eventually do some more volunteer work.
Post by imojoebunny on Oct 28, 2016 15:46:27 GMT -5
My favorite at those ages was doing the budget for the preschool they went to. I have a background in corporate finance, so it was super easy for me to create templates they could use to run different scenarios based on class size, comp, ect, and see the financial impact the various choices had on their bottom line. I could also do it, while I was home with the kids. Now that they are both in school, my favorite is tutoring kids in schools.
I have one child now at DS's school, but have previously done two at a school my kids do not attend that doesn't have much parent involvement, and will probably go back there in the spring. I do/have done a lot of other things, but those are my favorites. I was also involved in neighborhood stuff when they were not in school, like organizing the block party, the parade for Halloween, and other events. Organizing events is really easy from home with sign up genius and FB/websites. It takes time and organizational skills, but not a lot in the way of need for a babysitter. I am also really good at research, so I did a lot of that for various zoning matters and traffic type issues, but those issues are not as prevalent in a lot of neighborhoods.
I volunteer in the church nursery. I only do it once a month, because that's what fits in my work schedule. I volunteer in either the infant room or the toddler room. I always have a partner or two.
I just asked the coordinator and applied. I've been doing it for about 10 months now.
I volunteer in a few places regularly: teaching Sunday School and assisting shoppers at the food pantry. I find additional opportunities through here: www.volunteeryourtime.org/
Things I have done over the past years: Painting houses for disabled people Playing cards at a nursing home Providing child care for children while their parents get counseling Removing invasive species from county parks Run water stations at charity races Cook meals for people staying in Interfaith Hospitality Network shelter. Set up for charity silent auctions Paint faces at community center events Door knocking to get out the vote Operation Christmas Child warehouse work Weeding and harvesting at community gardens benefiting food pantry Answering phones during pledge drives at public television station
My best friend volunteers at the library shelving books.
Post by stephogirl on Oct 28, 2016 16:40:32 GMT -5
I volunteer with our area backpack food program that services low-income kids in our community. I try to take a long lunch at least once a month or so to go "stuff." Basically, we fill gallon ziplock bags with shelf-stable food. Other volunteers deliver to area elementary schools and put the bags in kids' backpacks before they go home for the weekend.
The program has really grown over the years, to the point that we're going to start servicing the area middle schools. I'm proud to be part of it.
ETA: How I got into it: I heard about the program and it sounded interesting so I googled it to learn more. There I saw that volunteers can sign up for shifts on their website.
Post by CheeringCharm on Oct 28, 2016 17:14:15 GMT -5
I volunteer in my sons' school but I'm not sure if that's what you mean. I help out in the library one morning a week and the art room. I also help out as events come up. Today they had the 3rd grade roller skating party in the gym so I helped chaperone that. It was so cute! The kids loved it.
The only thing I do is spend Fridays at DS's school. I work mostly in his classroom but now that I've gotten to know the staff/other teachers and they know I'm on campus I help out anywhere it's needed
When my kids were young, I used to volunteer at a co-op grocery store early Friday mornings when the food delivery came in. DH could watch the kids while I put prices on and stocked shelves in exchange for a discount and some adult conversation.
As a family we have volunteered with a local land trust doing easement monitoring (walking around a property and looking for anything that shouldn't be there) and some trash clean ups. I am hoping to start doing family volunteering with a local food pantry that needs help packing up donations.
My personal volunteer time has mostly been focused on school and sports related activities since the kids got older. I'd really like to volunteer 1 morning a week with the local Habitat for Humanity chapter (they have a Thursday women build group), but I'm not sure if/when that will every fit my schedule.
I'd think about what causes you prioritize (or want to), and start there. Right now I give money and am active in three different areas I find important: literacy, health/exercise, and supporting my kids and their peers. So, I attend meetings of our library's Friends chapter and will probably eventually be an officer. I try to give blood/am on the bone marrow list/donated milk/encouraged my daughter to donate her hair. Pre-kids I was a Girls on the Run coach, and since kids, I've assisted with sports team practices and will probably wind up officially coaching something again at some point. I have done water stations at 5ks with my older daughter. I'm a Daisy troop leader, room parent, classroom volunteer, and PTA member right now too.
I swear the first year at home with two, I just tried to survive, sleep and nurse. The second year, I added consistent exercise back in. The third year, I built on that and started reading more books and spent more time with friends. Now that I have a kindergartner and preschool attending three year old, significant and consistent volunteering is coming back into the mix, too. I'm finally getting to the point where I feel pretty balanced again. Kudos to you for thinking about volunteering now, and I agree that it's a great way to learn about and become involved in your new community.
With little kids, I mostly volunteer regarding my kids stuff...coaching, Girl Scout Leader, MOPS group leader, PTO, Classroom stuff, etc. I'm in the process of becoming a driver to take cancer patients to treatments (there was a news story saying there was a need). I occasionally pack lunches or gather food/supplies for food banks, etc. via my church (it's in the church bulletin). I help with a charity my friend started to help adoptive parents/kids(asked by her because I have experience in what her charity focuses on). There are tons of opportunities here but I'm keeping it in check because I'm in the process of working on some personal goals right now.
I'm a member of a community choir and a women's org and volunteer for both of them. I got started by showing up to their events and then seeing what volunteer positions they had available. In both cases I started small and worked my way up.
I just volunteer at DD's school right now. I really love it and find it way more fulfilling than I thought I would.
I'm there several times a week doing teacher to-dos and working in the library. We also do summer snack pack once a week in June, July, and August. DD helps with this, too.
ETA: I'm also room mom and will probably step up to be a Girl Scout leader at some point. I'm not so sure about that last one.
Post by stephm0188 on Oct 29, 2016 11:33:14 GMT -5
I volunteered a lot at my kid's school, which led to a job offer.
I've taken a bit of time away from volunteering while I adjust to returning to full time work after 8 years away, but will get back to it soon. I'll start with church functions and potentially starting a new 4-H group for the area.
Emergency pantry - I do data input for monthly reports. I was asked by a friend who sits on the board.
Charity walk - Co-captain of my company's team and responsible for fundraising. I also handle registration at the event. My first boss at this company had a terminal illness and the money from this walk goes to an agency that benefited him greatly. He was an amazing person who had a deep impact on our community (especially with at risk teens) and I feel strongly about giving back to the agency that helped him when in need. He helped bring this walk to our area and that's how I got involved.
Habitat women's build - My employer sends a team every year. Honestly I do it because my company asks. But it's kind of fun.
Diaper pantry - I package diaper orders for pick up. This is a need in our community that I'm passionate about. I initially volunteered because they asked my employer to send a team out for the day, but then fell in love with the organization and asked to be on the volunteer list.
Previously I volunteered as a tutor for the high school and at the public library's after school program. I quit both of those because older kids kind of annoy me and I felt like I was a better fit elsewhere. I asked to volunteer at the library and someone asked me to be a tutor. I did both for about 2 years. I would like to start giving mock interviews for high school juniors and seniors, but I don't think that is until spring.
Community involvement is extremely important to my employer, so I've found most activities through them or through other employees. It's a large portion of my performance review even though it has nothing to do with my current position.
One way to get involved is to just check the websites of organizations you are interested in. Most have a volunteer form you can fill out. If you like kids, contact your local schools or public library. Ours are always looking for both long term and short term volunteers.
I did a lot of helping out with things that benefited DS and his school/activities. Coop preschool board, room parent and chaperone for trips, band uniform mom. I never really thought of this aspect as "volunteering" because my kid was the one benefiting.
I did volunteer with DS's scout troop as an adult leader. I was the Eagle Scout coordinator for 30 boys during my time with the troop. I helped the boys plan and complete the requirements from Life Scout to Eagle- since that didn't benefit DS (another leader stepped in for him) I do consider that volunteering. I stayed on once DS aged out and am a District level committee chair still; I handle press releases and publicity. While a volunteer, my family and I helped on a lot of service projects in the community- in churches, synagogues, schools, parks, museums, libraries and food pantries.
I also participate in a project called "Aid for Friends" which provides home cooked meals and visits for the homebound and isolated in the Philadelphia region. I sometimes help a friend who works with Project Home.
Post by redpenmama on Oct 29, 2016 15:32:57 GMT -5
I have just gotten back into it. Now that DD is in kindergarten, there are more opportunities. Some things I am doing right now:
- Asst. troop leader for Daisy Scouts - Asst. catechist in her CCD class - Coordinated her class fundraiser for the school's fall carnival - Misc. volunteering in her school (helping with book fair, roller skating, classroom projects, etc.)
Post by redheadbaker on Oct 29, 2016 15:38:53 GMT -5
I volunteered at the local SPCA pre-kid. It's where I met my H. We walked dogs, did behavior evaluations on new intake dogs, did enrichment with dogs held for animal cruelty cases, and led new volunteer orientation.
Most of my free time seems to go to volunteering for things centered around my kids. I sit on my PTA board and am involved in several committee. I am the Girl Scout Leader.
I would like to have the time to expand beyond that but I don't see that happening while they are young.