A non-trivial percentage of my time is spent giving back to the community, through volunteer work, and through fundraising. I noted in my profile that I currently lead three Girl Scout Troops, and also that I lead a cub scout den. I think that giving back to the community is a great thing to do, and is rewarding and enriching. I get back far more spiritually than I put into the effort overall.
Every week, I lead at least one Girl Scout Meeting, and one Cub Scout meeting. That means that we are constantly coming up with new craft and activity ideas that are age appropriate. That gets harder as the kids get older, and I work with a larger age range. Since the point of the programs is learning, I find myself learning more about different topics, and having to constantly teach myself new things, and investigate new topics. It means that I stay on top of life, and become more involved in the world around me. I like that both programs are preparing the kids to face the world, and teaching them great life skills, organization skills, and leadership. It’s hard to find too many other programs that start teaching those skills from such an early age.
Yesterday, I had a girl using a power saw, and she said that she finally got to do things in Girl Scouts that she thought she’d never get to do. You can’t put a price tag on that.
It takes me probably 8 hours per week on average of volunteer time- except during Girl Scout Cookie Season. Then things are much busier. But the rewards that I get are worth so much to me. Hearing that I made a difference in someone’s life is priceless.
What about you? What volunteer work do you do?
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