get involved with my community

So it’s no secret I’m terrible with committing to stuff. It seemed like the majority of the volunteer opportunities I found were asking for a 3-6 month commitment. That completely scared me away.

But in looking for places to volunteer this Thanksgiving, I found The Salvation Army’s list of volunteer opportunities, and found a lot of awesome stuff!

I’ve signed up for one date already- and I’m seriously considering two other opportunities as well. So I’m definitely excited!

I’ve started looking online at various volunteer opportunities around my hometown. I’m finding some stuff that sounds really, really interesting, and surprisingly simple.

I’m also looking in to volunteering to help serve/deliver Thanksgiving dinner to the homeless/those who can’t get out to enjoy the holiday. The last two years have been very ‘empty’ Thanksgivings, and last year I told myself that if I ever have a Thanksgiving like that again, that I wouldn’t waste it moping around the house- but I would get out and volunteer.

I’ve always thought it would be a cool experience to go out and volunteer on a holiday like that, but to be honest, I’ve been too selfish. I haven’t wanted to give up MY holiday in the past. I’ve never volunteered on my own before, so I think this year would be a great time to start.

So yes. I’ve started doing my research. I’m finding causes that interest me, are close to home, and don’t require too heavy of a commitment. One small step at a time. There’s always time to build on to that first step, but I don’t want to get discouraged right as I’m starting!

I want to feel like I’m taking a stand for something I believe in, not just passively maintaining an opinion. There are a small handful of causes I genuinely feel passionate about, but I have not yet made any effort to help out in any way. So, here are a few causes I want to scope out and see how I might volunteer my time:

1. animal rescue
a. ASPCA
b. Humane Society
c. private non-profit animal rescues/shelters
2. child welfare
a. Phoenix Children’s Hospital
b. Salvation Army Shelters
c. Arizona Big Brothers/Big Sisters
3. education
a. TBD

I think that’s a good start, anyway. We’ll see if I can get anything started!