Give Back By Volunteering

It’s possible that someone appreciates retirement more than I do but I haven’t met that person yet.  I feel incredibly fortunate to get to this stage in life.  For decades I commuted for an hour just to get to work and, if I left before putting in less than ten hours, that was a short day.  I worked as hard as I could to be able to provide for my family and it worked out better than I expected or deserved.  I am very fortunate and am thankful every day to be living the “good life” with no meetings, presentations or conference calls.  When you feel that you’ve been given a lot to celebrate in life, it is only natural to feel like giving something back.  There are many ways to do this and a charitable donation to a worthy cause is something that is always appreciated.  I have found that people who give back by volunteering seem to get the most satisfaction.  It’s probably because you feel like you’re making a difference if you’re physically doing something rather than just writing out a check.  Although we should be clear that it isn’t “just” writing out a check.  That money can make all the difference in the world, and many organizations will tell you that volunteers are nice but paying the bills is an absolute necessity.

You can help an organization and yourself when you give back by volunteering.

There are many ways you can give back by volunteering but, if you have an area of expertise, why not leverage that knowledge and experience in a way that other people might not be able to?  If you have organizational skills and an outgoing personality, coordinating a fundraising event is a great thing to do.  It brings in money to the organization and helps get the message out to the community about what a worthy cause it is.  Having community support is extremely important and developing partnerships is how charitable organizations maintain their funding a grow.

Many retirees give back by volunteering at their church especially around the holidays.  Collections for food pantries and toy drives are part of the fabric that knits a community together.  Nothing makes you feel better than delivering a basket of food to a family you know needs the help.  It was an eye opener for us to see how some families lived in our own neighborhood.  One family of six children lived on the same block as us and both parents were facing medical challenges.  Many of the people working on the food drive also donated some money and made sure that it went to the families most in need.  To a person, everyone felt they had done a good thing, and it’s become an annual event.

It seems that every organization is having trouble recruiting volunteers these days.  I’m not sure what the reason is. Maybe everyone is just too busy.  But it does emphasize the importance of volunteering.  Seniors who have the time are very much in need so there should be some local organization that will be very happy to see a new face come forward.  It’s a great feeling to feel that you’re making a difference and it’s great to meet like-minded people who are determined to help out in some way.  If you’re looking to meet new people and make friends, this is a great way to do it. I think anyone who reaches retirement age is very fortunate and it’s nice to make a difference in someone else’s world.  Give back by volunteering your time or resources and I think you’ll agree that you get back far more than you give.

As a person who loves to go to historic sites, it’s not lost on me that some of these places are looking for volunteers as well.  Many of these places have volunteers that act as guides or provide information for the visitors and some of these places offer extra benefits to their helpers.  Discounted rates for tours or even private events are not unusual.  But most of the volunteers are there because they love the historic site itself and look forward to just being around the grounds.  While they give back by volunteering, they’re also quite happy to be where they are, doing almost anything to promote the cause.  The volunteers at Monticello and Mount Vernon looked forward to coming to “work” every day.  They felt like they were a part of history and were making a difference in keeping it alive.

If you have a little too much time on your hands, or have a worthy cause that you’d like to help, why don’t you consider a little volunteer work?  It’s a great thing to do and it’s very satisfying.  You’ll really feel like you’re making a difference.  That’s because you are!  Go out and give it a try.  It’s time to Enjoy Retired Life!

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