Do you volunteer or do charity work?

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CallMeMamaBoo
CallMeMamaBoo Posts: 295
in Chit-Chat
Hey Fellow MFP'ers!

I am continually finding inspiration, motivation, compassion, and love through several of the activities I participate with on my free time. As a stay at home mommy, I have chosen to give much of my time to volunteering in my community. I want to hear about others like me! Where do you volunteer and why?


I'll start.

I do 5 hours a week with a Suicide hotline office.
---Suicide first became a part of my life at the age of 13 when my best friend decided her parents didn't want her anymore because she was overweight and it hit me again when my first husband went to Iraq and couldn't handle the pressures of his military life.

I do 10-15 hours a week with a thrift store run by our area Senior Citizens. It provides paying jobs to the elderly who don't make enough on S.S. and provides clothing and household items to those in need or in times of crisis. I became involved with them when my elderly aunt lost her house and everything in it to fire. I felt the need to give back.

All year round I give endless hours to our local Veterans and military families during military holidays like, Memorial Day and Veterans Day. I spend time with deployed families and organize play dates and shopping dates and all sorts of fun things. I spend time cleaning grave stones of Veterans and families of Veterans. I do this, number 1, because our military sacrifice more than we can comprehend, and number 2, because all my brothers and father were or are active military men, including my husband who is currently a Reservist with the United States Navy.

and lastly,

I give all my clothing and toys and household goods to our local Woman's Shelter. I am a survivor of parental abuse and feel a strong connection to all who enter and have spend countless hours talking, crying, and just listening with those women and children and it's a large part of the person I am today.

I am constantly looking for more ways to volunteer and give back. The biggest part of my weight loss journey is going to be able to run for charity some day. Some foundations I plan to run for are cancer and diabetes. So many to choose from these days, I almost feel overwhelmed with the idea of having to choose!!!


So let's hear it! So many of you are such amazing people here, I am anxious to hear what you do when you're not logging food and exercise!
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Replies

  • kdao
    kdao Posts: 265
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    I am a hospice volunteer, although I am on baby leave right now. I get assigned 1 patient that I go and visit once a week and spend an hour or so with, depending on how they are feeling. We watch TV, read books, talk, hold hands, etc. On special days like holidays or their birthday I will go out and by them a special treat of their request.
  • UpToAnyCool
    UpToAnyCool Posts: 1,673
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    *high five* for volunteers!

    I do occasional construction work for Habitat. I also volunteer weekly as a reader at Recordings for the Blind and Dyslexic - we read and record textbooks for use by people that can't see or like to have the recordings to help w/ their studies.
  • BryanAir
    BryanAir Posts: 434
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    I did 300 hours of volunteer work for my City, Police, and Fire departments last year. When I tell people about that I always feel the need to mention that I wasn't sentenced to do that work. :smile:
  • perrytyra
    perrytyra Posts: 357 Member
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    Right now I am so busy that the only volunteer work I can squeeze in is the work I do at my church. I help with youth group Wed night, print the bulletins, and bring snack on Sunday every other month. And I am the nursery director.

    When I finish my degree I hope to add working at the Soup Kitchen once a month when it is our church's turn. When my 6 year is a bit older(I homeschool her) I would like to volunteer at the pregnancy care center.
  • david081
    david081 Posts: 489 Member
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    Seven years on the lifeboats for me...
  • CallMeMamaBoo
    CallMeMamaBoo Posts: 295
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    I am a hospice volunteer, although I am on baby leave right now. I get assigned 1 patient that I go and visit once a week and spend an hour or so with, depending on how they are feeling. We watch TV, read books, talk, hold hands, etc. On special days like holidays or their birthday I will go out and by them a special treat of their request.


    That is incredibly sweet. I wish there was something like that near my grandma. She is alone much of the time and too far for me to travel often. Recently, she fell and couldn't get herself up and had been laying for hours! Worse part about it was my older aunt is living with her and never bothered to check on her. I will have to look into this some more and see what things are out there so that she can get more visitors. I know she has a paid hospice that comes for a few minutes in the mornings and evenings but none that stay to visit. Good for you!!!
  • Tomhusker
    Tomhusker Posts: 346 Member
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    I coached inner city kids for 18 years. Baseball & football.
  • HannahPastoor
    HannahPastoor Posts: 303
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    I used to volunteer (3 summers) for a therapeutic riding program and I volunteered helping a mom out with her special needs daughter (4 years)...But than we moved. Right now I am focusing on finding a paying job. Then I will put my energy into finding a place to volunteer. I have always wanted to be in a program where I can bring my dog into hospitals, shelters, ect....Because she is a really great dog and would love it, so would I : ) But I don't know how to get involved in that. If anyone knows anything about that you can message me : )
  • CallMeMamaBoo
    CallMeMamaBoo Posts: 295
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    *high five* for volunteers!

    I do occasional construction work for Habitat. I also volunteer weekly as a reader at Recordings for the Blind and Dyslexic - we read and record textbooks for use by people that can't see or like to have the recordings to help w/ their studies.


    THAT is awesome. I would totally screw up reading anything out loud, I think.
  • ashleighlvschris
    ashleighlvschris Posts: 29
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    I do volunteer work for animal shelters & rescue agencies. I also rescue american pit bull terriers, get them healthy & find them a good home!
  • LesliePierceRN
    LesliePierceRN Posts: 860 Member
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    I am currently training to run a 5K and a half marathon to raise money for my kids' conditions. My daughter has a rare metabolic disease called Propionic Acidemia. It's 75% fatal in the first two weeks and a tight rope to walk every day that she's alive. She is the only child ever born in WV to live long enough with the disease to be diagnosed. In October, a few of us PA moms from all over the country are running in the Nationwide Better Health Columbus half marathon to raise funds for research into this heartbreaking disease. On April 30, I'm also going to run a 5K in Huntington WV to raise money for Marshall University's Autism Training Center, who provided us with the training we needed when my son was young and diagnosed with Autism. We have come very, very close to recovering him, and I want others to have the opportunity to recover their children too.

    I also do what I can for The Ronald McDonald House, Make a Wish, The Children's Miracle Network and WVU Children's Hospital, all of which we've required the services of. I am a great networker as well, and help anyone I can in what ever capacity that I can to help them get services for their own disabled children, especially navigating the ridiculous bureaucracy of the state and federal governments. This is what I consider my real job.

    In my "spare" time, I'm also a registered nurse on an orthopedic/medsurg unit at one of the hospitals in our capital city.
  • CallMeMamaBoo
    CallMeMamaBoo Posts: 295
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    I did 300 hours of volunteer work for my City, Police, and Fire departments last year. When I tell people about that I always feel the need to mention that I wasn't sentenced to do that work. :smile:



    LOL!!! When I started reading this, I wondered....
  • Codygirlslim
    Codygirlslim Posts: 43
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    Well...I don't really like to toot my own horn, if you know what I mean...but if it inpsires others to "Get Involved" then I guess that it is okay. :)

    I am a Girl Scout troop leader (3-4 hrs a week). I am the Employment Specialist for our church (up to 5 hrs a week). I am the Past-President Elect of our PTA (or we call it PTK-Parent, Teachers for Kids), and am very active at the school (depending on the event or the need, up to 20 hrs a week). I also am one of the PTK Kids Advisors (the group I started with a teacher to get the kids more involved in doing service for the school), which includes doing the AR Store for reading points and the School Store for purchasing the school items, as well as fundraising, etc). I also use my scrabooking talents and business to do fundraisers when I can, or to provide creative ways to teach others to bring joy to friends, families and people in need. I also do public speaking events and workshops pro-bono for our community on business issues (employee development, leadership & management classes).
  • singer201
    singer201 Posts: 560 Member
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    I belong to quilting groups at two churches. We make quilts that go overseas with a church relief agency and locally to a women's shelter, vets' shelter, and nursing home.
  • CallMeMamaBoo
    CallMeMamaBoo Posts: 295
    Options
    I am currently training to run a 5K and a half marathon to raise money for my kids' conditions. My daughter has a rare metabolic disease called Propionic Acidemia. It's 75% fatal in the first two weeks and a tight rope to walk every day that she's alive. She is the only child ever born in WV to live long enough with the disease to be diagnosed. In October, a few of us PA moms from all over the country are running in the Nationwide Better Health Columbus half marathon to raise funds for research into this heartbreaking disease. On April 30, I'm also going to run a 5K in Huntington WV to raise money for Marshall University's Autism Training Center, who provided us with the training we needed when my son was young and diagnosed with Autism. We have come very, very close to recovering him, and I want others to have the opportunity to recover their children too.

    I also do what I can for The Ronald McDonald House, Make a Wish, The Children's Miracle Network and WVU Children's Hospital, all of which we've required the services of. I am a great networker as well, and help anyone I can in what ever capacity that I can to help them get services for their own disabled children, especially navigating the ridiculous bureaucracy of the state and federal governments. This is what I consider my real job.

    In my "spare" time, I'm also a registered nurse on an orthopedic/medsurg unit at one of the hospitals in our capital city.


    and you, my dear, sound amazing!!!
  • CallMeMamaBoo
    CallMeMamaBoo Posts: 295
    Options
    I do volunteer work for animal shelters & rescue agencies. I also rescue american pit bull terriers, get them healthy & find them a good home!

    If my family would allow, I would LOVE to do this for pugs. Pugs are just awesome little dogs.
  • kdao
    kdao Posts: 265
    Options
    I am a hospice volunteer, although I am on baby leave right now. I get assigned 1 patient that I go and visit once a week and spend an hour or so with, depending on how they are feeling. We watch TV, read books, talk, hold hands, etc. On special days like holidays or their birthday I will go out and by them a special treat of their request.


    That is incredibly sweet. I wish there was something like that near my grandma. She is alone much of the time and too far for me to travel often. Recently, she fell and couldn't get herself up and had been laying for hours! Worse part about it was my older aunt is living with her and never bothered to check on her. I will have to look into this some more and see what things are out there so that she can get more visitors. I know she has a paid hospice that comes for a few minutes in the mornings and evenings but none that stay to visit. Good for you!!!

    Awww, thank you. I could have written this post word for word in regards to my Grandma and older Aunt that lives with her :mad: I get great joy from my patients.
  • CallMeMamaBoo
    CallMeMamaBoo Posts: 295
    Options
    I used to volunteer (3 summers) for a therapeutic riding program and I volunteered helping a mom out with her special needs daughter (4 years)...But than we moved. Right now I am focusing on finding a paying job. Then I will put my energy into finding a place to volunteer. I have always wanted to be in a program where I can bring my dog into hospitals, shelters, ect....Because she is a really great dog and would love it, so would I : ) But I don't know how to get involved in that. If anyone knows anything about that you can message me : )

    Contact your local nursing homes. They LOVE having pets visit. I take my cat to the nursing home that my mother works at and they just love her to pieces!
  • WinKitty
    WinKitty Posts: 119
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    I'm an assistant cubmaster for my son's cub scout troop, and I tutor ESL at the local library. Tutoring gives me a lot of perspective and my students and I know each other well enough to give each other support and encouragement in our "real lives." It is SO rewarding.
  • CallMeMamaBoo
    CallMeMamaBoo Posts: 295
    Options
    I am a hospice volunteer, although I am on baby leave right now. I get assigned 1 patient that I go and visit once a week and spend an hour or so with, depending on how they are feeling. We watch TV, read books, talk, hold hands, etc. On special days like holidays or their birthday I will go out and by them a special treat of their request.


    That is incredibly sweet. I wish there was something like that near my grandma. She is alone much of the time and too far for me to travel often. Recently, she fell and couldn't get herself up and had been laying for hours! Worse part about it was my older aunt is living with her and never bothered to check on her. I will have to look into this some more and see what things are out there so that she can get more visitors. I know she has a paid hospice that comes for a few minutes in the mornings and evenings but none that stay to visit. Good for you!!!

    Awww, thank you. I could have written this post word for word in regards to my Grandma and older Aunt that lives with her :mad: I get great joy from my patients.

    I may need to look into doing something like this. You never know when you might have the opportunity to help someone else's grandma. I can't imagine how many times things like that must happen across the country.

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