Give It Up!

When my children began school, I was working. Hubby and I decided we would do whatever was necessary for me to always be home with them after school, so work became part time. At school, though, I signed up for the obligatory parental volunteering. When my son was diagnosed with Dermatomyositis, work took a back seat and I needed to be available whenever for appointments and therapies and such. So . . . I ventured into the inundating, overwhelming, extremely rewarding job of volunteering!

I helped in the office, I helped in the clinic, I did projects for teachers, helped at events, and enveloped myself in everything to be closer to my kids. I helped create 5th grade t-shirts; something I still adore doing and both my kids are in college! I began mentoring and continue that today - a beneficial task for student AND mentor! I highly recommend it! Middle school proved to be a vast expanse of volunteering options. I hooked myself up with a variety of teachers and tasks, worked the front office and phones, mentored, took over the school newsletter, and whatever else was asked. High school I helped the volunteer coordinator and continued to mentor.

Between elementary and middle school, with the granting of Miles' dream from The Children's Dream Fund, we decided to begin giving back. We began volunteering at the All Children's Hospital Telethon, raising money for and awareness of the hospital and The Dream Fund. Car washes, bowling, Gatherings, speaking in Washington, DC, more telethons. I then found a way to join a local guild for All Children's. This became a passion for me. These two groups are something I will advocate for throughout my final breath!

When simply going through the motions, volunteering was basically just "the right thing to do." When faced with altered circumstances, volunteering became my difference maker. I may not change the earth's course; cure leukemia (although I wish I could); or take the dark out of night. And believe me when I say that there were MAJOR bumps in the volunteering highway. But to make a little bit of better is an opportunity and a feeling I do not want to give up easily! In speaking with a dear friend yesterday, we tossed around the possible horrors of volunteering, and we both concluded that the good far outweighs the things and people that don't really matter and never will. Those with self-imposed directives and the "all-about-me" complex will inevitably fall to the wayside, making a much clearer path for those of us who selflessly proceed toward a goal beyond ourselves!

Not all of us are privileged enough to donate our time or ourselves. However, should you find yourself with a few extra minutes a week, find your fondness and fulfill a greater need. Love reading? Head to the library and see if you can assist in an adult literary course. Love sports? Check out the local leagues and see if you can coach or referee. Love critters? Animal shelters are always looking for helping hands. Love building? There is Habitat for Humanity and a hundred more just like it. Love kids? Come play with me!

Give it up! Just a little bit of your time and energy can make a tremendous difference. More importantly, a little bit of your time and energy can make the beginnings of a tiny difference. Volunteering . . . it does a body good!