Volunteering

Have you ever volunteered? I mean actually gone out and worked with an organisation or someone? Been part of a team that runs something for others, looks after something or meets regularly to organise?
If you have .......then you are part of that wonderous group of people who happily give up a small amount of their own time to help others.

Today is International Volunteers Day

This is the day when we can celebrate and say thanks to all those wonderous people who do give up some of their own time to assist and help others, just because they want to.

We are lucky to have such super volunteers in the hospital setting. They give of their time freely each week to ensure patients and visitors do not get lost around our huge campus.

They also give of their time to assist people whilst visiting the emergency department, supporting people in their bad time and just being there to talk or bring that small cup of tea that may be so desperately needed.

I myself, have never volunteered in the hospital setting, but have spent many a year volunteering. When Ben was just 5 weeks old I join Parents Centre, an organisation that ran Antenatal classes and Parenting education classes. The organisation was run by the headoffice in Wellington, but each of the local centres were run by volunteers.

I did this for 5 years, sometimes just a small input, others times well I gave it my all. I was Chairperson of the Hamilton branch at one time, but when it took over my family life then I gave it all away.

Volunteering should be fun and enjoyable. It should be something that you want to do otherwise you don't enjoy it and you don't give and receive the necessaries out of it.

Nowadays I am on the PTA at the school, a smaller committment but still a huge giving back. We have managed to change things at school for the better but at the same time don't feel that it is taking over our family life.

I happily volunteer at Judo too, the club runs itself each week thanks to the couple that own it, but whenever they have tournament days etc then they need help. So this past weekend I just spent 5 hours ensuring the kids doing the fighting had the right coloured belt on each time. May not seem like much, but at the time it assisted in making the tournament day run smoothly as possible.

Previously I have spent the entire time working in the kitchen, cooking more toasted cheese sandwiches than I care to admit too!

I will post about this weekends tournament later this week.

So to all you wonderful people out there who give of their precious time and volunteer.

Thanks you,

Thank you so much,

Thank you for finding it in your heart to be someone prepared to give up a few hours each week, whilst also working and running a family, to do something for someone else because you can.