Can you recommend good places to volunteer at?

[MyopicJoe]

Well this year has been a very interesting one (isn't that a Chinese curse?). Two months ago I became unemployed. It wasn't much of a shock, because I saw it coming, but then a month later I had to take my wife to the ER to be hospitalized. Luckily her condition wasn't as bad as some other people's (the mother I talked to in the waiting room had a son who tore his aorta in a car accident). Things have finally settled down at home and now I can turn my attention to other matters.

One important thing I want to do is find places where I can volunteer my time and skills. A mistake I made in college, and during most of my career, was I allowed my world to stay small. By that I mean I only went to my assigned classes. I only talked with people in my major / job industry. I never went out of my way to meet a wide variety of people.

So can you recommend good places to volunteer at? Hopefully a place you volunteered at yourself or know the people there personally.

There's no shortage of noble causes, so what I mean by "good" is a place where I'll learn a lot from the people I work with. Maybe it's learning skills, a style of working, or an outlook on life. I don't expect to get paid, but I do want to enrich my life.

Thanks, everyone :_)

[Kaonohi]

Re: Can you recommend good places to volunteer at?

Well, the most obvious - since you are unemployed and I suppose job-hunting - is to contact places that can use the skills you already have: your college major, places similar to other places you have worked for, etc.

Other than that, there is a wealth of places in the islands that only survive because of volunteer help:
Bishop Museum (not a part of Bishop Estate) is particularly needy - always!
Any and all of the botanical gardens.
Hawaiian Humane Society.
Many human services organizations.

The world is your `opihi....

[AbsolutChaos]

Re: Can you recommend good places to volunteer at?

Have you checked Volunteer Hawaii yet? They always have postings the help match up volunteers with organizations that need them...

http://www.volunteerhawaii.org/

[WebDude]

Re: Can you recommend good places to volunteer at?

Have you checked Volunteer Hawaii yet? They always have postings the help match up volunteers with organizations that need them...

http://www.volunteerhawaii.org/

Wow, that's a great site. I found a few events/organizations I would love to volunteer at. Can't wait to get there...=)

[tutusue]

Re: Can you recommend good places to volunteer at?

[...]
There's no shortage of noble causes, so what I mean by "good" is a place where I'll learn a lot from the people I work with. Maybe it's learning skills, a style of working, or an outlook on life. I don't expect to get paid, but I do want to enrich my life.[...]

MJ, I'd like offer a respectful comment on this...
Possibly a bit of a mind shift might net you the results you hope for. That is...instead of the end objective being to enrich your life, maybe your end objective can be to enrich other people's lives and, in the process, your life will be enriched more than you can ever imagine and without even thinking about it. Just a thought...

[Amati]

Re: Can you recommend good places to volunteer at?

MJ, I'd like offer a respectful comment on this...
Possibly a bit of a mind shift might net you the results you hope for. That is...instead of the end objective being to enrich your life, maybe your end objective can be to enrich other people's lives and, in the process, your life will be enriched more than you can ever imagine and without even thinking about it. Just a thought...

TutuSue, I think I understand what you are trying to say, and I agree. Also, one of the benefits of volunteering is exposure to things that are outside of your normal activities, and just enjoy the experience of trying something new while at the same time helping another person. That approach will really open up the doors of possibilites. VOLUNTEERS RULE! MJ, KUDOS to you for wanting to "get out there" and make a positive use of your time between jobs!

[MyopicJoe]

Re: Can you recommend good places to volunteer at?

Other than that, there is a wealth of places in the islands that only survive because of volunteer help:
Bishop Museum (not a part of Bishop Estate) is particularly needy - always!
Any and all of the botanical gardens.
Hawaiian Humane Society.
Many human services organizations.

Thanks for the specific suggestions, Kaonohi.

Have you checked Volunteer Hawaii yet?

That's handy. Thanks!

your life will be enriched more than you can ever imagine and without even thinking about it. Just a thought...

I see the wisdom of what you're saying, Sue :_) I agree with you.

I also believe you need to help yourself, before you can help others. Volunteering takes energy, and you need to fuel it with something. If you can craft a win-win situation, which allows you to help people more, then great.

[MyopicJoe]

Re: Can you recommend good places to volunteer at?

I found a few events/organizations I would love to volunteer at.

It'd be hilarious if we both show up at the same place

just enjoy the experience of trying something new while at the same time helping another person.

Haha, you read my mind!

KUDOS to you for wanting to "get out there" and make a positive use of your time between jobs!

Thanks for the kind words, Amati. Volunteering sure beats waiting at home by the telephone, hoping to get a response to your job application!

[D'Alani]

Re: Can you recommend good places to volunteer at?

I volunteered at Meals on Wheels for a year and it definitely made me appreciate what I have immensely. I stopped after a year because I "lost" a few clients on my route and it took a little out of me. I'm looking around for somewhere else to volunteer hopefully outdoors. But yes volunteering is very gratifying, especially when you enrich others life and realize what little effort it takes to put a smile on someone's face.
I hope you find something gratifying whether or not it helps you find future employment.

[cynsaligia]

Re: Can you recommend good places to volunteer at?

hospitals need volunteers, and not the candy striper kind. filing, manning information booths, making cheerful crafts for patients are some things volunteers are tasked with.

while you won't be directly touching the patient, you'll get a good idea of how hospitals work and what people go through when they're patients. nothing like what you see on TV.

if i had a more reliable schedule, i'd do volunteer work related to domestic violence.

[Frankie's Market]

Re: Can you recommend good places to volunteer at?

All of the above suggestions are great. But I would like to give a special shout-out for the Special Olympics, which is always in need of volunteers and helpers. I'll tell ya, Joe. What might start out as something to keep you busy and productive in-between jobs might very well turn into something that is longer term once you get a chance to see how your efforts bring happiness to the Olympians and their families.

Besides the personal satisfaction you will receive, Special Olympics in every locale attracts volunteers from nearly every walk of life. From company execs to civil servants, you'll get an opportunity to meet and work alongside a wide range of people.

[Kaonohi]

Re: Can you recommend good places to volunteer at?

...instead of the end objective being to enrich your life, maybe your end objective can be to enrich other people's lives and, in the process, your life will be enriched more than you can ever imagine and without even thinking about it. Just a thought...

tutusue - bless you. Some day I hope that this is something I could have said!

[Mike_Lowery]

Re: Can you recommend good places to volunteer at?

Volunteer at a Boys & Girls Club on Oahu. Tell'em Mike on Kauai sent you.

[MyopicJoe]

Re: Can you recommend good places to volunteer at?

I stopped after a year because I "lost" a few clients on my route and it took a little out of me.

A caring person such as yourself must have gotten close with the people you helped. I imagine it was heart breaking :_(

A nurse I read about realized she couldn't handle caring terminally ill patients, where there was no hope. She did much better helping ill patients whom she could watch get better.

I guess it's trial and error, figuring out what kind of volunteer work best fits you.

what people go through when they're patients. nothing like what you see on TV.

With my mother and wife being in the hospital quite a bit in the past few years, I've started to get a better understanding. I tend to get along well with kids, so maybe I'll see if KMCWC has anything, though I think the elderly people are the most lonely and in need of company.

What might start out as something to keep you busy and productive in-between jobs might very well turn into something that is longer term once you get a chance to see how your efforts bring happiness to the Olympians and their families.

I wouldn't be surprised, especially when you can immediate see the impact your work has. The idea of meeting people from all walks of life is attractive. A casual conversation with someone can drastically alter the path of your life.

Special Olympics might be a good place to practice photography too ;_)

Volunteer at a Boys & Girls Club on Oahu. Tell'em Mike on Kauai sent you.

Thanks for the tip, Mike. I hope "Mike on Kauai" is a secret code, telling them to haze me. Heh heh, just kidding ;_)



On a side note, it seems to me the elderly are one of the most neglected segments of our society. I imagine many of them are very lonely. A few years back I was working at a trade show. They hired elderly people to guard the various booths at night. When I struck up a conversation with one of them, I was suddenly surrounded by a bunch from nearby booths, all vying for my attention. They wouldn't let me leave.

[Amati]

Re: Can you recommend good places to volunteer at?

On a side note, it seems to me the elderly are one of the most neglected segments of our society. I imagine many of them are very lonely.

There is a group here in Hawaii, Neighbors Helping Neighbors, that works with seniors. I used to vounteer with them, and had a senior that I visited in her home weekly. Here is their website, check out what volunteer opportunities they currently have:
http://search.volunteerhawaii.org/org/15179862.html