I have been in service to others since I was 16 years old when I did my first walk for hunger. I still have the card we used to get each mile marked with a stamp in the shape of a foot. That was 37 years ago and I do not think I have had a time in my life when I wasn’t giving back or volunteering.
It was the way I made new friends, some who have been in my life forever. It was the way I had fun, planning events, doing fundraisers, celebrating results. It was how I humbled myself when I became to jaded with life by serving lunch in a soup kitchen in NYC, or cleaning an apartment in a women’s domestic violence shelter. And it has been the way I have been able to empower others to give freely of themselves and time.
Without volunteering, I would not be who I am today – I would not have the empathy for others situations, or the graditude for what I have in my life. And I would never have seen myself in anothers eyes.
The love and graditude I have receved from those I have served cannot be measured. I’ve never expected anything in return. I volunteered and gave because I wanted to.
I have helped hundreds on people find there way to serve, many for the first itme. Young, old, single, married, it doesn’t matter. And Iknow they also got so much form the experience.
So no matter what it is you like to do, find a way to share that with others – without being asked , paid or made to do so. Give your love and talents freely and you will be greatly rewarded in ways you never thought possible.
To find an organization near you check out Hands on Network at http://www.handsonnetwork.org/actioncenters/find
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