VOLUNTEER - vol-un-teer
NOUN meaning a person who offers freely to undertake a task without being paid. This is the objective definition that appeals to the cortex of our brains.
My personal experience as a “volunteer,” that is, of giving time to make a difference goes beyond the objective definition to a much more meaningful place where one realizes that one person really can make a difference. This
is empowering. Once this happens, people are transformed and no longer believe in the futility of trying to make a difference. The “what’s the point?” “why bother?” “there’s too much wrong for
me to make a difference” turn into optimistic “can do” mantras.
For me, the experience of cooking at the homeless shelter or showing schoolchildren that they can make a difference through Pennies for Peace or hammering nails in a Habitat home is a way of me to give back to my community - locally
and globally. There are no real good words to tell you about the satisfaction and joy I get from being told that what I cooked “sure smells good” or how I feel when I see a 7 year old carrying a handful of pennies to donate, or to knowing
a child is sleeping in his own room in the first home his family has ever owned.
It may seem like a very small thing - to make someone lunch that would otherwise go hungry, or to collect a dozen pennies that will buy a dozen pencils for kids in Pakistan or to hammer a few nails into drywall that will become a home
for a homeless family but I have learned that each of these small gestures on my part grows exponentially when shared with others who choose to participate. The lives of others then are enriched, improved, and made whole.
It is my hope that as you travel about the Make a Difference part of my website that you will discover a cause or an organization that you will feel compelled to join,
of which to become a part. You’ll
find ways to educate children, help children, help people from third world countries grow their businesses, help women from war-torn countries, feed
the hungry, save the rain forests, lend a hand to breast cancer victims, promote literacy throughout the world.
I promise you that the time you offer freely to undertake a task without being paid will pale in comparison to the enormous gratification and satisfaction you will receive. By visiting my website and sharing this
information with others, you are already on your way to making a difference.
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