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Volunteering: Choosing One Cause

Volunteers

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Causes define the world. Worthy ideals, vital support systems: there are endless quests to choose and endless paths to take. And you… wish to experience them all. Volunteering is not a burden. Instead you consider it a value — wanting to offer your time, energy and passion to those who need it most.

Choosing just one venture seems impossible, however. You find yourself struggling to decide which cause is most important to you. Sympathy demands that you sample them all — and you do, dedicating yourself to a different philosophy each day.

The result is disastrous.

Those wishing to volunteer must refrain from over-extending themselves. Wanting to offer aid to every issue is understandable; maintaining the necessary patience, scheduling and energy for it, however, is impossible. Individuals will devote themselves to traveling between venues more than offering support.

It’s necessary to select one idea first. Volunteers — like yourself — should choose the cause that most appeals, giving all free time to it (instead of dividing their hours into useless little pieces). Narrowing the focus offers greater rewards: with individuals able to offer their complete attentions and skills.

And charities need this more than anything. Only an estimated 15 percent of the population offer their services to causes each year. This leaves many organizations without the necessary support — lacking the ability to accomplish what they need. Volunteers must therefore be fully functioning: rather than bounding from idea to idea and achieving little.

Choose one cause and reap the benefits.

 

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What is Habitat for Humanity?

Habitat For Humanity volunteers constructing a...

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Habitat for Humanity is a non-profit, non-government organization devoted to building decent homes for those in need. This international organization’s headquarters are located in Georgia, but they have several area offices around the world. You might have already seen their ads in direct tv and other media networks. These houses are built by volunteers and are sold at no profit.

Founded by Millard and Linda Fuller in 1967, they began the work to build houses for those in need. In 1976 Habitat for Humanity International was established. Since then, this organization has received several awards including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and they have built over 400,000 houses around the world, sheltering over 1,750,000 people.

Habitat for Humanity has many programs such as their Youth Program, where they try to find people ages 5 to 25 to become involved in the program. With their Colligiate Challenge, they attempt to get students involved during their school breaks such as spring break or summer break. During these programs, students spend a week working with the local Habitat affiliates. They are provided with housing and food for the week and are able to perform services for those in need.

Habitat for Humanity also has several annual events. Because former president, Jimmy Carter, became involved in Habitat for Humanity in 1984, the organization has named one even after him and his wife, The Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project, and they still attend these events. During this annual event in 2008, volunteers were able to build 60 houses in one week and frame 48 more, and in 2009 they were able to serve 166 families through this annual event.

Filed Under: Community Clean-Ups, Natural Disasters, Volunteer Organizations Tagged With: , ,

Benefits of Volunteer Work

Habitat For Humanity volunteers constructing a...

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The experience that most people have with volunteer work ends after their mandatory high school volunteer hours. However, by not volunteering, people are missing out on a great experience. There are many benefits to volunteering your time and effort.

First, doing something altruistic for other people makes you feel good. It makes you feel as if you are doing something worthy with your time and enrichening other’s lives as you do it. The impact you have as a volunteer is long-reaching. Building a home for Habitat for Humanity, for example, benefits people for decades. If you have self-esteem problems or feel like your personal growth is stagnant, volunteer work fixes that promptly.

Second, volunteering for a worthy cause puts your own problems in perspective. In today’s fast-paced world, it’s easy to get stressed about a late bill or fight with a family member. However, when you do volunteer work, you are often working with people who truly are experiencing some of life’s worst hardships. Helping people with their problems can make your seems more minor in comparison, which helps you enjoy life more fully.

Third, volunteering looks great on a CV. When unemployment is at a recent high, people worry about filling in the blank time slots on their CV. Volunteering is something you can put on your resume as work experience, and it shows that you keep yourself busy and work even when you are not getting paid for it. It shows that you are willing to go the extra mile for something that’s important to you, which makes you a valuable job candidate.

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Traits of a good volunteer

Volunteers fit new windows at The Sumac Centre... 

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Volunteering can be a very fulfilling experience for those who are passionate about helping those in need. There are several volunteering opportunities in the US as well as at international levels. You can volunteer for different kinds of services like distribution, administration as well as on-field work. However, not everyone can make a good volunteer. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to do a job that carries lot of responsibilities with it. There are certain character traits that every volunteer should have in order to be effective. Some of these traits are:

  1. While volunteering, you will come in contact with people from all over the country as well as several foreigners. It is important to respect each other’s culture and be tolerant towards each other’s beliefs. You should always keep in mind that, at the end of the day, you are all there for the same purpose – social service.
  2. You should never hesitate to fulfill any tasks that you were not expecting. Emergency situations often require volunteers to take on a host of roles and you should think of each task as an opportunity to learn and grow.
  3. You should be flexible enough to switch roles without causing much of a fuss. Volunteering is more about the end result of uplifting those in need and a good volunteer puts his work before himself.
  4. Be serious and passionate about your work. If your feel sincerely for a cause, you are more likely to show a great deal of dedication towards it!
  5. At the same time, try to have a bit of fun and cheer those around you as well!
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Are you ready to volunteer?

Community service can be a very rewarding experience. You get to do some really good work, interact with people from all walks of life and feel like a better person at the end of the day for having made a difference to other people’s lives. However, as noble as volunteer work is, it also requires you to take on a lot of responsibility. Several people enroll for volunteer work but end up quitting before they even start! Here are a few questions you need to ask yourself before you commit to volunteering for a good cause:

  1. Are you volunteering because you really want to help others or because it may seem cool to others? Your motive behind volunteering will go a long way in determining your dedication towards your work.
  2. What are you good at? Do you have good people skills? Can you handle children with special needs? Or are you good at physical labor, like building homes as part of Habitat for Humanity?
  3. Do you want to volunteer for on field work or administrative tasks? You could be distributing medicine and food at refugee camps or keeping stock records at the warehouses!
  4. If you have a full time job, do you think you would have the kind of time volunteering requires? Will you be able to manage the stress levels?
  5. How much time can you dedicate in a week to volunteer work? Are you pushing yourself not leaving time for socializing or distressing for yourself?
  6. Are you more concerned about the problems of your own community or do you want to travel abroad and help internationally?
  7. Do you feel strongly about community service and volunteering?
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Donating Expertly

Habitat For Humanity volunteers constructing a...

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If you are not an actual expert at donating things to charitable organizations, don’t worry about it. This is far from rocket science, and the not-for-profit organization is probably going to be happy to tell you what they need, if you only ask. Generally, since the economic downturn has hurt a lot of charitable groups, they can use all of the help that they can get. While 10 bucks may not seem like much (one or two fewer delivery pizzas), it might end up really making somebody’s day. Since most charities help a lot of people, giving what you can might not even require that you give them any money. Of course, it is a truly rare person or entity that declines such a gift, though.

Maybe you want to donate, but you are strapped down to your last dollar. Nobody ever said that you should feed the hungry while your own belly rumbles and your kitchen shelves gather dust. That would be downright foolish, if extremely generous of you. Maybe you have the skills to help Habitat for Humanity build some houses — they could probably use the help, especially if you are a skilled trades person. Even if all you can do is bring donuts, haul supplies and plant flowers, you can still help out and make somebody’s day a little bit brighter.

However, you might be in a good spot to provide some financial help to someone who is in need. If so, good for you! It’s nice to have enough that you can provide for your own family, and help out other people who have far less than you do. If so, you have got a lot of options for what you can actually give. Naturally, a check will always work, and cash will do in a pinch (especially if you can only give a small sum). And in some cases, a prepaid credit card might even be the best to give.

Filed Under: Housing Projects, Volunteer Organizations Tagged With: , , ,

Giving Back One Shoe at a Time

Blake Mycoskie - TOMS Shoes Sept 16 2010
Image by andysternberg via Flickr

It’s the year 2011 and sadly, the world doesn’t see very many philanthropists today. You may be wondering what in the world a philanthropist is. Well, a philanthropist is one who believes, and strives, to improve the quality of life for the human race. Today, more often than not, we see people who are only concerned about how they can improve their lives. With selfish attitudes like this, it will be a constant battle to help those struggling to live. However, when you look at people like Blake Mycoskie, the founder of Toms Shoes, it’s easy to see that the world still has hope.

So, how can the owner of a popular shoe company be considered a philanthropist? Well, the answer is quite simple. Mr. Mycoskie is using his shoes to help clothe men, women and children all over the world. After competing in The Amazing Race, Blake made a second trip to Argentina and found that many of the people in the country couldn’t afford shoes. This got him thinking about how he could help improve this situation, and essentially, improve the quality of life for these people. For those in Argentina that can afford shoes, they wear shoes called espadrilles. Blake decided to create a shoe similar to Espadrilles because they are practical for all people to wear, regardless of where they live. Designing practical shoes was important because Blake had plans to donate one pair of shoes for every pair of shoes that were purchased.

This is how Toms Shoes came to be. The company has given away more than 1,000,000 shoes to needy people all over the globe. If more companies begin looking for ways they can give back to humanity like Mycoskie has, the world would be a much better place – for everyone. However, until that happens, it’s nice to know that we can make a difference just by purchasing a pair of shoes.

Filed Under: General, Volunteer Organizations Tagged With: , , ,

You Can Help the Red Cross Too

Donating to the Red Cross helps people that are left stranded after a disaster and can inspire hope for those that have none. Millions of people have been touched by the Red Cross after their communities were destroyed by fire, flood, or storms. Many of the people who have lost everything need help to rebuild their community to start all over again.  You can help by donating goods to the Red Cross, which will then hand out the donations to the people affected by a disaster. The Red Cross has thousands of locations around the nation for you to donate to.

Some of the items the Red Cross is looking for are items like blankets, food, and water. These items are to provide people with the basic necessities that they go without after a disaster. You can also make emergency kits that are handed out by the Red Cross to those in need. Some of the items in your emergency kit should include any basic items to live. Water and food kits are always appreciated and will defiantly be used for people in need of them. Make sure that your kits have foods that are ready to eat or can be easily made.

The Red Cross also accepts cash and credit donations to buy supplies that promote healthier living in third world countries. Mosquito nets are bought in the tens of thousands to give out to poor villagers and nations that do not have access to them. Cash donations will also go to Red Cross relief efforts that continually operate around the world. You can be a part of this amazing program and donate some cash to help with all these costs that are so badly needed. They also conduct blood drives to provide badly needed blood to the victims of disasters. Blood is always needed and the supply is always running low as more disasters continue around the world. Be a part of something bigger than you and give what you can, you are the only thing that stands between the total disasters of doing nothing at all.

Filed Under: Community Clean-Ups, Volunteer Organizations Tagged With: , , ,

Volunteer Work to End Suffering

When a natural disaster strikes in a community nothing will bring it back, except for hard work and volunteering. There are many people in need when disaster strikes, but it’s only through volunteering that those people get out of their situation. Volunteers can be found from all parts of the country from the safety of their own homes or in a house that was just destroyed. The fact is the work needs to be done and people will answer the call for help from any situation. Ask yourself if you’re the kind of person that would leave the warmth of your home to go to a disaster ridden state to help.

When people are in need it is up to those that were not affected to come together and organize a relief plan and rebuild communities that are destroyed. The area that was affected will not be able to pull itself out of the rubble; they need a little help and a hand up.  There are lots of programs that do this kind of work; Habitat for Humanity rebuilds homes for the people that once lost theirs. Habitat does a lot of other great works, like trying to provide a home for the homeless and food for the hungry, but without volunteers they wouldn’t survive.

It’s up to you if you want programs like Habitat to survive and to keep on working with society’s problems. They can rebuild, but only if you are there to volunteer your time and help. It’s people like you that allow such great programs to survive and not crumble into dust. Houses need to be built and people need help, they need help from people like you. The people who are going to help are the ones who care about that kind of suffering and want to relieve it. The people who care about their fellow man are the ones that volunteer to remove this kind of suffering from their nation, people like you.

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Habitat for Humanity’s ReStores do Double the Good

Habitat for Humanity’s ReStores are located in various communities throughout the country. They are the thrift stores of home improvement. Their purpose is to sell low cost building goods, home décor and appliances while raising money for the local operations. Every store is a little different, but the general inventory is the same. Organizations and individuals can donate goods to the restore in their area.

Along with serving as a revenue stream for Habitat for Humanity, ReStores also provide an environmental and socially responsible way to keep used goods out of the land fill. Not only does the Restore serve families looking for a better life, they also market to subcontractors, apartment companies, and other small business looking for cheap, quality goods.

Occasionally, a large corporation, like Whirlpool, will donate product to ReStore. When this happens, Habitat for Humanity usually sees a significant increase in their retail operation’s revenue stream. Not only do new products increase sales, but they also boost the image of resale shopping. The products tend to move very fast, so if you hear about new products at a ReStore, don’t waste any time getting over to buy some.

Habitat for Humanity opened its first American ReStore in Austin, Texas in 1992. It was such a success that there are now 700 outlets in 48 states. Canada has 60 locations. The ReStore has become the face of the greater organization. As people come in for a good bargain, or to donate, they get a sense of what Habitat for Humanity does, and who the people who run it are. Often a shopper comes in for an appliance and leaves with doors or windows, too. Once you’ve entered a ReStore, it’s hard to not browse through the whole place.

If you have items you would like to donate, check their website at http://www.habitat.org/restores for the location nearest you. You can even schedule a pick up of you can’t bring your items in yourself.

Filed Under: General, Volunteer Organizations
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