Volunteering Can Transform Your Life

I Just wanted to share the interesting story of how volunteering can impact your life and I found this on which I think it can be a good encouragement for people to rethink about volunteering.

Source: Have Fun: Do Good Eblog by Britt Bravo, Oakland, California, United States
Wedsnesday, April 08, 2009
Volunteering Can Transform Your Life
About 12 years ago my life hit a rough patch. I was in a job that wasn't using my skills, and wasn't going anywhere. My boyfriend had broken up with me. Turning 30 wasn't far away. I wasn't feeling so hot.I started volunteering at a San Francisco based arts education organization, Streetside Stories. The program teaches autobiographical writing in Bay Area public schools using storytelling (oral, written, digital).One or two mornings per week I would ride the bus to a public middle school and help students write a story about their life. It was the highlight of my week. Not only did hearing their stories help me put mine in a different perspective, it was fun!After volunteering for about 6 months, Streetside asked me if I could do some subbing for their instructors; after about a year they offered me a job. I ended up working there for six years. Many of the friendships I made with staff members then I still have today. I met my husband during that time as well.I think my experience at Streetside is why I'm such a big proponent of volunteering. I believe that it can bring magical changes into your life. The changes might not be as dramatic as mine, but volunteering will transform you in some way.Next week, April 19-25, is National Volunteer Week. What better time to start looking for a volunteer opportunity? Sites like VolunteerMatch, Volunteer Solutions, Servenet.org, Social Actions, Transitions Abroad, One Brick, Network for Good, Idealist, HandsOn Network, GuideStar, Global Vounteers and 1-800 Volunteer.org are great places to look for opportunities.You might think you don't have time to volunteer, but volunteering can take many forms: in person, virtual, long-term, one-time, during a vacation, etc. You can also volunteer in your own community, rather than with an organization, by doing things like taking care of a friend's child once a week, or running errands for an elderly neighbor.