Volunteering

I like to volunteer. It gives me a feeling a satisfaction; of giving a little back as I have been so blessed.

I'm not a serious, big time volunteer - building houses in third world countries, or feeding the hungry in poverty stricken places, but a medium-level giver/helper/do-gooder.

When my boys were in grammar school I volunteered by helping out at end of the year parties by baking cookies or helping the teacher grade papers during the school year or helping to raise money with our PTA.  Little things that I'm sure helped but were not world changing.

When my sons no longer appreciated my presence at school, I moved on looking for other opportunities.

My next offering was at the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, CA.  I've always loved the ocean so why not do a good deed while enjoying the beautiful views of the Pacific?

My duties there were tending to the baby harbor seals.  Oh my these little guys were so cute!  Most were newborns deserted by their moms because humans interfered while they were left by their moms while out hunting for their dinner.  The staff brewed up a gruel that consisted of pureed salmon mixed with some type of liquid (rather foul smelling) so that it could be fed to these little rascals by bottle. That was fun.  What wasn't such fun was another assignment of cleaning out their pens/cages.  Again, not such a pleasant smelling job.  But hey, I was helping these little guys and the Mammal Center could do more meaningful things with their funds rather than pay staff to do this job.

I had to quit the Mammal Center after knee surgery and my next volunteer opportunity was with To Celebrate Life, a breast cancer foundation that provides support for underserved breast cancer patients.

My focus was to help raise money for the foundation by doing various tasks during the six months or so leading up to the grand gala in September of each year.

In the beginning I concentrated on gathering donations from various local businesses for the silent auction. I did that for several years.  The last year or so I added working at the gala event by admitting guests by collecting their tickets.  It was fun greeting these generous folks who paid upwards of $250 each for the dinner and fashion show - the models for the show being breast cancer survivors. Plus, I was able to watch the fashion show from the sidelines.  So touching to see these women, and occasionally - a man, strut down the catwalk wearing clothes donated by local boutiques and designers. The work I did for this organization was truly rewarding.

After my move to Arizona, I looked for another volunteer opportunity and found one at the Phoenix Art Museum.  It is a mid-size venue and filled with beautiful art.  I never seem to get my fill of art!  My position there is an ambassador of sorts.  I mingle with patrons answering their questions and making suggestions of exhibits not to be missed.  I am there once a week for 2-2.5 hours and it is enjoyable.

Still, I know there is so much yet to do in the world of volunteers and I am considering another volunteer option, though I'm not sure exactly what it will be.  I would like to feel that I am making a bigger contribution than I do at the museum. Again, I'm not looking to save the world, just to make it a little bit sweeter for someone.

I will explore this further and report back!