Volunteer Throughout Your Lifetime...

Have you ever been driving and pulled over when you see someone on the side of the road? Or seen someone at the grocery store and offered to help with their bags? How about just sitting and talking with a stranger that you have seen waiting for something unknown? All these you may see as just being a good neighbor and they are. But you are also giving your time. And that can be also considered as volunteering. How about this one? You are leaving the store and there is a collection for some known or unknown charity such as the kettles around Christmas. You walk by and drop off an undisclosed amount of cash. Or even stop and talk with the bell ringer to give them a word of encouragement. That's right you are volunteering to give a gift and maybe a bit of time. To you it is just in passing, to them it and what they represent it means the world.

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Or TAV for short

This was one of the first volunteer jobs that I had ever held. You would help out on Saturdays in several different departments of the hospital.

It could have been on the floors making beds or helping patients. It could have been in the kitchen working on food orders. Or in the basement helping with mail or the laundry room. One of the more popular was helping in the gift shop / snack bar. I tended to end up in the dish room on this particular one. Funny how several of my later jobs were doing dishes while in college. Its amazing how when you volunteered it could help you be ready for jobs that came along in the future. Or as you will see how jobs can help you to get the experience to volunteer.

K - 12 and beyond

Growing up I loved reading. Books or comic books it did not matter. Pictures or no pictures again it did not matter to me as long as I was reading. It could have been hot and everyone was saying come in for a swim but there were a couple of more pages to finish in the chapter. With that said it was no wonder that I was drawn to help out in the libraries. Starting in elementary school and all the way through college I would volunteer my time to help where ever needed. Checking out books, shelving books, reading to younger kids and even emptying the trash. It was near books I did not care. As a side note in high school I was the librarian for the music department.

"Geek" and proud of it.

I admit the volunteering for this was two fold.

1) It got me closer to computers.

2) I was doing programing and sometimes needed access to the computers and printers late at night. Because I was a volunteer I could keep the lab open.

Most of my job entailed getting the print outs from the printers to the end users.

Again this volunteering paid off in another way. For my final project in Business was based on a computer company. I was able to get computer parts to use for my presentation.

Computers and Lunch Time

There was a time when our church had a school for kids K - 8. During that time I was able to help out in more than one area. The first was with my schedule I was able to help cover the lunch times. This allowed the teachers to eat in peace. After lunch the kids would get some outdoor time. The other people that also helped would take out Mr. Bull Horn to call the kids when it was time to come in. Its amazing how well my voice can carry. Second there were also computers that needs looking at once in a while or even reloading windows. One again the "Geek" in me came out. I was able to help keep the computer going in the school.

The punster is coming out in me.

Have you ever played to a captive audience? Just so you know I was once told that if I kept up the puns I would be walking home that evening.

For a few years there were a few guys from our church that were going once a month to witness to a group of prisoners. For most of this it was talking and praying with them. Then one month the gentleman that was scheduled to share got sick. The phone rang and I had two days to get ready. Good news I had been working on something for a while and was ready. Or as ready as I was going to be. For me music is a great way to reach out. and this was no exception. The song I was using had there verses and there was a mini sermon on each verse. I was then able to build from there with questions and answers and prayer. Its amazing what you can do. Its even more amazing what you can do when you pray before you set out.

Again the Geek shows himself

I am not sure how I got hooked up with this one. I think it was through my church helping out.

I helped get their systems up and going again. Then upgraded the printer. Then upgraded all 5 of the systems from Windows 98 SE to Windows XP Pro. Through that time I also check on the machines to make sure that they are still in good working order.

Again by helping this has referred me to other places to help and some of them having paid positions. I know I have said this before but you will be amazed by volunteering and what it can lead to.

The picture shown is part of the new system in the community room.

Help support your local PBS stations

Sometimes you don't have the extra cash to call in with. But you still want to help out. Here is one easy way to donate to you local PBS station. Be an operator. Answer the phones and take the donations. Say your job pays $10 per hour. And you spend two hours on the phones. For you that could be like donating $20 out of your pocket but paying with your time.

Here is where the techie / geek strikes again. My wife and I went in and were answering phones one evening. One of my calls was from a lady the donation was easy. But then she wanted to record a show that would be airing later on that evening. She could not program her VCR as the manual had disappeared. I spend the next half hour helping her reset her VCR and getting it ready to record the show later on that evening. During the next break the folks doing the telephone said, " We have people on the phones to take your donations. We even have one helping to set up your VCR's to record our programs." Look mom I'm on TV. Yes the camera was on me. I know because a friend said I saw you on PBS last night as they were pointing to you.

OK this was my dad and grandfather and they deserve a large amount of credit for this one.

My grandfather was a volunteer firefighter for many years. His son-in-law (my dad) joined as well. He said when you make captain I will retire. Four years later my grandfather retired. I remember listening to the fire whistle go off. I would count the patterns and know what street the fire was on. At that point my friends and I would run to see the trucks if it were near us. Granted we would stay back so that they could do their jobs but none the less it was still fascinating to watch. To know that my dad would drop what he was doing to help others. Even more important he was a volunteer firefighter. On more than one occasion he would pull over and throw on his gear to see if he could help. It could have been fighting fires or it could have been working on ambulance duty. Either way he was there. Having him work late was what he had to do. Fighting fires is what he was willing to do. And sometimes that was worth more than the paycheck that he brought home.

I know that I have donated over two galleons. I also know that I have needed blood during brain surgery. I had just called the American Red Cross at:

1-800-448-3543

And found that they were looking for the double red donations. For me that is a better way to donate. I am not as dizzy after the donation.

I also found out that my daughter could donate. This would be the first time for her. A sort of father, daughter adventure.

LOL for Short

The old saying goes Hair today gone tomorrow or this donation can grow on you.

Now my daughter has donated to the Locks of Love. She had let her hair grow to over 10 inches long. This is their least need. We went to the barber and let them know that this was the reason for the cut. They then washed it and braided it. Then then cut it off all at once. We were then able to put it into an envelope and mail it in. A couple of weeks later she received a certificate in the mail for the donation.

Then I was up to 5 inches and still growing. The hardest part is keeping it out of the eyes while driving with the windows down.

Once again you can volunteer and not realize you are doing it.