How do you give back: What is the importance of volunteering within your communities?
In our hectic busy everyday lives, it may be hard to think of how could I possibly give or do anymore than I already am. We may say to ourselves I work really hard, I am passionate about my field, I donate to a specific cause, and so forth. If I never had the opportunity to become a volunteer within my community, I probably would still have that belief of I am doing all that I can possibly do. However, a few years ago my perspective on my influence on others and giving back changed dramatically in a day.
Today on a series of Saturdays throughout the Fall and Spring semesters at the Hunter College Brookdale Campus, the halls are buzzing with different sounds. Through the halls you can hear sounds of laughter, cheers, and basketballs swishing through the hoops and the sound of screeching aluminum wheels into each other. A sheer contrast of a typical college day, no one is strolling the halls with stack of books, grocery bags, or discussing their next big paper. Instead on Saturday an estimated 100 participants and about 75 volunteers make their way through the sports and recreational program of the day Project HAPPY.
Going back some six years ago to date, I sat in my dorm room trying to decide whether I would stay in and rest or venture outdoors. I quickly got out of bed and headed to my bedside window to see what the weather looked like for the day. A beautiful sunny summer day is what I saw. Aside from all the sunshine, I noticed many unfamiliar faces, faces of men, women and children using wheelchairs, crutches, and scooters. I thought to myself who are all these people, as I tried to recall whether or not I had ever seen any of them at Hunter before. Could they live at the dorms, no many of them seemed too young to be college students? Being the curious person that I am I decided that I to go downstairs to see if I could make some sense of all these new faces. I made my way downstairs to run into one of my best childhood friends from my days at the New York Foundling. While being ecstatically happy to see her as I had not seen her in some time. In a very surprised voice I asked her what was she doing at the dorms. She replied that she was a participant at the program called Project HAPPY, which meets here every Saturday. I said really tell me more, is there a way that I could get involved and help out? She said “Of course I think so, let me introduce you to Penny. She runs the program”. Within the five minute introduction of meeting Penny, I quickly filled out a volunteer application and have been a faithful volunteer ever since.
What keeps me volunteering is not in fact that I love getting up early on the weekends, but the fact that I know that I am making a lasting impression on the lives of the participants in a small or big way. You not only feel the difference but you see the difference. Some of the participants are unable to communicate with you verbally but you know that just your time and presence has made someone smile or compelled to give you enormous hugs every session. Its those moments that keep me returning. And even if a sports and recreational program is not the right volunteer opportunity for you, there are a gazillion places waiting for someone like you to give some time and love to help make a difference.
