What's the point?
Who are you helping?
What a waste of time.
Being a volunteer has been a lifelong journey for me. Once upon a time, this lady before you was once a cute freckle faced kid who wore a green sash covered in badges. Yes, I was a Girl Scout. My volunteering began long before I knew what a selfless act was, what it really meant to give, and why I was doing all I did regardless of the flare I wore across my chest.
My volunteerism started when I was four, helping the elderly cross the street, learning to sew, and selling cookies. Being a Girl Scout lead to helping serve food to the homeless on Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve, spending time collecting and delivering clothes to women and children in shelters, and so on.
When I was in high school I was a cadet in the Army Junior Reserves Officer Training Corps or AJROTC program. I volunteered my time to being the best of the best. I started a campus recycling program and crushed cans on weekends. I also helped at a local thrift store and food pantry, and spent time with younger kids telling them all about how wonderful it was to be a cadet.
Once in college and facing the life and cards my family had been dealt. I became a part of the local HD Support Group and helped with event planning, which has turned into a full-time volunteer job. With help from my family we run the support group and HDSA New Mexico Affiliate. We've held two bowl-a-thons, a Team Hope Walk, and countless smaller fundraising events and education days. Other endeavors we take part in is Toys for Tots, donating food and clothing to our local Salvation Army, Bethel Storehouse & Panty, and Hug a Horse Thrift Store. Our affiliate even donates food during Thanksgiving time and toys around Christmas.
I also spend much of my time on the NYA Board, working on several different projects to help youth's who are impacted by Huntington's disease. Helping children, teens and young adults like myself who are affected by such an awful disease makes me feel like I have a purpose. Knowing that it is not about me, but about the people I am able to help alongside fellow board members and friends is a gift in itself.
Do I get tired? Yes, of course I do. It's human nature. Do I push past it? Yes, of course I do. It's so much more than the thank you's. I don't know how I do it sometimes. Even when I am past the point of exhaustion, I still manage to get it all done. My advice is, volunteer. It pays back tenfold. The experience is more than anyone could pay. The feeling it gives you is like nothing else. Get out there and do something, be a part of the bigger picture, donate your time and your talents... Get involved with something, anything!
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