My Experience as a Volunteer

Last Saturday, my friend Jeff and I attended a Habitat for Humanity of Monroe build day. We worked from 8:00 AM – 3:30 PM prepping and siding a garage in Dundee. We started by tearing down some old siding, pulling nails, and prepping the area. We then wrapped the garage in a special paper lining while another group put up the vents that run along the overhang of the roof. We then set about the actual task of putting up siding.

Overall, it was a great experience, and I would recommend everyone try it, or something like it, at least once. It did seem to me that the construction site could have used a bit more leadership and direction. Dave and Andy seemed like great builders, but they didn't really encourage people to step up and help out. There were many people who spent most of the day just standing around. In fact, after we finished the paper project, there was a solid two hours where I had nothing to do and resorted to sweeping out the garage and stacking plywood.

After lunch, where I managed to dump an entire glass of pop all over myself, Jeff and I decided to get back and aggressively seek a job; we didn't volunteer to stand around and watch others work all day, after all. That's when we made sure we got to work on the siding, and the afternoon went wonderfully after that.

Two of the things I really like about Habitat for Humanity of Monroe is that you get to see the results of your work right away and the project is right in your backyard. Sure, it was a great thing to give money to Haiti, and I felt like it was the right thing to do when I made a modest donation to Wikipedia, but in my mind those are far off places, where my donation is just lost in the shuffle of all the other, larger donations. But with Habitat, you're helping your community (well, Monroe's, anyway), you're helping your neighbors. I think that it's much more rewarding to know that you're having a larger impact right here at home.

Habitat certainly isn't the only local nonprofit or charity looking for volunteers. I encourage all my readers to find a cause you care about and seek out the most local group you can and get involved. Even if it's something you don't know much about now, you may develop a passion for it that you didn't even know you had. Fight off the feeling that one person can't make a difference in such a big world by making a difference in YOUR world.

I need your help everyone. Give me ideas of what to do. Give me places to go, people to see. Call your friends who may be involved in a community, group, or culture that would be interesting for me to attend and write about. I've got two events still on the horizon, but I need plenty more. Help me out. Thanks!

http://www.habitatmonroemi.org/index.php