Volunteer time (grandparents, community, dump, retired)

[nezlie]

Do any of you retirees do volunteer work? If so, how has that worked out for you?

[sayulita]

Yes, I do volunteer. I am a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate for children in foster care) and it's very interesting and satisfying. Here's a link.
National CASA - Court Appointed Special Advocate Association - CASA for Children: Advocating for Abused and Neglected Children

[fay111]

I'm very involved with our local library (president of the Friends group). I've found it very gratifying - we moved our library to larger quarters,all with the help of volunteers. Did a lot of fundraising to help that happen. Now that the library has more room, they are greatly increasing their programming -trying to be a social center, and we do lots of fundraising to help pay for the programs. I've met lots of nice people and really enjoy it.

[Escort Rider]

Public schools have been my route to very satisfying volunteer activities. Twice a week at lunch time I run a middle school chess club. The direct reward is the enthusiam of the participants. Once a week I read aloud for 30 minutes to a fifth grade class. It is hard to explain why I find this so gratifying as well. I was lucky enough to be assigned to a well-run school and to an excellent teacher. I read portions of Renata Zerner's memoir Dance on the Volcano: A Teenage Girl in Nazi Germany and then invited the author, who is in her eighties, to address the class, which she did. It was very exciting for all concerned. I have found it an interesting challenge to select appropriate books (in consultation with the teacher). I have read Call of the Wild by Jack London, The Wizard of Oz by Frank Baum, and The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. I am currently in the middle of a fascinating and realistic mystery set among the hard-scrabble trash dump boys of the Philippines written by Andy Mulligan, Trash.

[Wwanderer]

I served on my condo board for a year, that was hard work but enjoyable.

I also tutored ESL for a year. This for me is very interesting and rewarding, since I have an affinity for language. Unfortunately there aren't as many opportunities to do this in Florida where I'm going to be wintering.

[stillkit]

I do disaster relief with the Southern Baptist's and it's been quite an experience. It's something I never would have been able to do while working (I drove a truck), but the Lord knew what I would be good at and arranged things so that I couldn't turn it down.

I quit working in 2003 and started doing DR the next year. Since then, I've responded to 5 hurricanes (Dennis, Katrina, Gustav, Ike, Irene), 3 Oklahoma ice storms, 2 floods (Iowa, North Dakota), California fires, 3 Oklahoma tornadoes, Michigan storms and even got to go to Haiti. It's the best thing I ever got involved in and, if it weren't for that, I don't know what I'd do with my time.

If you like to travel, have a desire to help people in their hour of greatest need and don't mind being uncomfortable sometimes, I highly recommend it.

[StealthRabbit]

Works fine for me. (Realizing that almost every group with have some 'eager beaver' domineering old fogy trying to 'Run The Show' (usually a failed 'management type' for career field...). Just do your job as best possible for the agency / clients, inspite of the inept leaders...and forget the politics (just like WORK, but... you can LEAVE!). I make it a personal policy to NOT get into management positions in volunteer organizations. I am a better worker bee.

I do 'senior transition' volunteering for poor rural folk, also community economic development for distressed counties (as well as food bank / homeless shelter / public schools / adult ed / Master Gardener, Historic parks, International humanitarian missions ...)

I am still WAY under retirement age, but have been doing this stuff all my life (lived with grandparents, so was doing 'elder care' for needy neighbors @ age 8).

The connections with other volunteers and clients is VERY educational and can be fun. (free food helps )

[Cattknap]

I volunteer 10 to 15 hours per week for our church. I head up a 10-church women's organization and travel from church to church teaching and basically doing quality control with regards to teaching and programs. I work with salt-of-the-earth women and love what I do.

[stillkit]

Originally Posted by StealthRabbit

Works fine for me. (Realizing that almost every group with have some 'eager beaver' domineering old fogy trying to 'Run The Show' (usually a failed 'management type' for career field...). Just do your job as best possible for the agency / clients, inspite of the inept leaders...and forget the politics (just like WORK, but... you can LEAVE!). I make it a personal policy to NOT get into management positions in volunteer organizations. I am a better worker bee.

I do 'senior transition' volunteering for poor rural folk, also community economic development for distressed counties (as well as food bank / homeless shelter / public schools / adult ed / Master Gardener, Historic parks, International humanitarian missions ...)

I am still WAY under retirement age, but have been doing this stuff all my life (lived with grandparents, so was doing 'elder care' for needy neighbors @ age 8).

The connections with other volunteers and clients is VERY educational and can be fun. (free food helps )

I'm with you on being a worker bee. It's far easier to avoid the inevitable politicking and inter-personal discord. Every group has it, even church groups.

[KiwiKate]

Originally Posted by stillkit

I'm with you on being a worker bee. It's far easier to avoid the inevitable politicking and inter-personal discord. Every group has it, even church groups.

I also agree with being a worker bee. I have volunteered all of my adult life, and during my working life managed all kinds of volunteer groups. My goal when I retired was to find activities that would be useful but that would just require me to show up on my scheduled day. I volunteer at my local library once a week and at the local hospital foundation as they need me for their fundraising activities. My only leadership volunteering is for the board of our ceramics club -- secretary now, treasurer next year -- and it's just a small group. I like being useful for a few hours a week since the rest of the week is pure selfishness!