Volunteering is a blast

by Jeanette Smith. Published Thu 23 Sep 2010 17:29

Volunteering is something that many people veer away from, thinking that they will be slogging it out for no return

But let me tell you the returns are immense. Having worked all my life as a journalist and lecturer, getting a monthly wage is great – but whilst there are obviously highs when you know you have done a job well, there are also the lows, the long hours, some frustrating colleagues and, on occasions, meetings about meetings with little or negligible progress.

Working as a volunteer, and especially for charity brings different rewards. Ok, so you have to put the time in, but often you can choose just how much time you wish to devote to whatever charity you are supporting, a little or at times, a lot. Then again the meetings are fun and the folk round the table are always, in my experience, very nice people. People whom you CHOOSE to spend time with, not just people you have to work with to gain a wage.
Then there are the events that we have discussed, planned and executed. They too are much fun – encouraging the public to part with their money, be it at a book sale in a village street, a coffee morning, car boot sale, or race night.

I had ideas as to what I would do when I retired – write that book, develop that radio play, do a maths GCSE that had evaded me whilst at school. But I have been drawn into the volunteering world – how I don’t know, perhaps I‘m an easy touch and do not like to say no.

And I’m glad I didn’t. It’s a joy to go to the presentation evenings when we dish out the cheques to the worthy causes, to see the smiles on the faces of youngsters and organisation leaders. To help people who help others is a pleasure and you feel humbled when you see just what others do to help their community.

My part is just a small one, but the more I do the more I feel sucked into this world of volunteering. And I am not complaining.
If each one you reading this gave just two hours a month to help a charity of your choice you would find it would not just be the charity benefiting – you would too.

The Charities I help are the Mayor of Sefton’s Charity Fund (Formby Branch), and the Shyira Trust (www.shyiratrust.org.uk)




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