Volunteering

[totaljen]

Great and inspiring thread Smiling Joe! My husband and I give $$ to various charities each month, but I'm looking forward to giving more time too once we're relocated to the SoWal area. Encouraging stories everyone!! I couldn't agree more with all that's been said!

 

[supermom262]

I've worked as a room mother for eldest daughter's class for the first 1/2 of the year, before taking her out of that school. It was an eye opening experience at how many parents don't get involved in their children's education. We donate money as we see fit to various organizations & helped with a local Thanksgiving dinner at a church in Freeport our first Thanksgiving here. I just saw last week about Caring & Sharing needing volunteers, so ironically it was on my list to call on Monday, even before I saw this thread. A new group started about 2 months ago by one of the coolest members of our community called Heartworks Kids. It's dedicated to getting the children of our community involved in charity work and we've been a part of that, including being able to work with the Lighthouse Retreat this week, which was fun in itself & because we got to see old friends from ATL.

As the kids get older & I am able to branch out more sans the munchkins, I look forward to getting more involved in the community.

Please tell me more about the Heartworks Kids!

 

[scooterbug44]

Kudos to getting the kids involved at an early age!

 

[ASH]

When I lived in St. Cloud, I volunteered for the March of Dimes for a couple years. We put together a haunted library for halloween and raised piles of money for them as that was a college town. Oh, the stories of fun we had scaring those big college boys trying to impress their G-friends. :funn:
Built a church and a half and sand-bagged until my arms fell off for a couple flood years back in MN.

Nothing beats the feeling of pouring everything you got into something for absolutley no reason than you wanted to or felt you needed to for nothing in return.

If I was financially able, this would be all I do.

 

[floridiandreams]

I go with a local pet therapy group called PAWS (pets are working saints), we go to Delta Health Care and Crystal Bay assisted living the second Monday of each month with our dogs. We are on a summer break right now, but I've been doing it for about 5 years and I cannot begin to tell you how rewarding it is to see the elders eyes light up and listen to them tell their stories about when they had a dog. Funny... sometimes I hear the same story each month, but love it just the same. It's as rewarding for me as it is for them. Such a simple thing too.

 

[DD]

I go with a local pet therapy group called PAWS (pets are working saints), we go to Delta Health Care and Crystal Bay assisted living the second Monday of each month with our dogs. We are on a summer break right now, but I've been doing it for about 5 years and I cannot begin to tell you how rewarding it is to see the elders eyes light up and listen to them tell their stories about when they had a dog. Funny... sometimes I hear the same story each month, but love it just the same. It's as rewarding for me as it is for them. Such a simple thing too.

PAWS comes to the NH where I work!! Love them! The residents do too!

Way to jump in, floridiandreams!

 

[Beach Runner]

Member of the Board of Directors of our daughter's private school.
Official driver for the girls' varsity basketball team at daughter's school (they didn't have a bus).
Development (fundraising) chair for our daughter's schools' annual auction.
Chaired and co-chaired two-week-long summer art camps for middle schoolers.
Development (fundraising) chair for junior league charity ball and auction to benefit children's causes.
Cookbook committee member for junior league.
Preparing meals for a battered women's shelter.
Altar Guild member at church (responsible for making the church look neat, distributing Sunday flowers to nursing homes and ill people, etc.).
Needlepointed two altar cushions for our church sanctuary (one took a year to do because it was so large).
Member of the church orchestra (violinist).
Symphony guild volunteer (selling tickets, etc.).
Playing gigs at art museum openings, symphony fundraisers, etc.

Just this past Friday I played in a quartet at two daycare centers for underprivileged children to expose them to the arts We explained to them about the instruments, taught them a bit about music, etc. They were so cute -- they hugged us as we were leaving. Our quartet plans to become part of an "Arts in Schools" program to supplement music education in our county because funding for the arts has been drastically cut. They offered to pay us, but we are going to donate the money to buy instruments and sheet music for the kids.

 

[DD]

Member of the Board of Directors of our daughter's private school.
Official driver for the girls' varsity basketball team at daughter's school (they didn't have a bus).
Development (fundraising) chair for our daughter's schools' annual auction.
Chaired and co-chaired two-week-long summer art camps for middle schoolers.
Development (fundraising) chair for junior league charity ball and auction to benefit children's causes.
Cookbook committee member for junior league.
Preparing meals for a battered women's shelter.
Altar Guild member at church (responsible for making the church look neat, distributing Sunday flowers to nursing homes and ill people, etc.).
Needlepointed two altar cushions for our church sanctuary (one took a year to do because it was so large).
Member of the church orchestra (violinist).
Symphony guild volunteer (selling tickets, etc.).
Playing gigs at art museum openings, symphony fundraisers, etc.

Just this past Friday I played in a quartet at two daycare centers for underprivileged children to expose them to the arts We explained to them about the instruments, taught them a bit about music, etc. They were so cute -- they hugged us as we were leaving. Our quartet plans to become part of an "Arts in Schools" program to supplement music education in our county because funding for the arts has been drastically cut. They offered to pay us, but we are going to donate the money to buy instruments and sheet music for the kids.

Dang, BR. Are you tired?

 

[Alaqua Animal Refuge]

We are always in need of volunteers at Alaqua Animal Refuge. We are the only shelter in Walton County and we are a no-kill facility. We need all types of volunteers - hands on, off-site adoptions, administrative - you name it! It is a tranquil place to spend your volunteer time.

 

[sbartoldus]

It is a tranquil place to spend your volunteer time.

It is absolutely a refuge for both people and animals! I will be spending part of my day off trying to do my part.