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Old 05-10-2013, 05:19 AM
 
Location: Maine
2,492 posts, read 3,394,119 times
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Escort Rider, it is so important for children that age to have a steady, thoughtful male adult presence in their lives. I'm certain your volunteer work with the school will have long-lasting positive affects on those students. Clearly it already has, from their thank you messages (loved their comments you shared). It is heartening to know that people still respond to real connections with kind, sincere people.

After our daughter goes to college, I plan to volunteer at the nearby veterans' home and hospital. Many of these people have little or no family support and not much to look forward to. Having a non-medical person visit regularly to read books, talk with them, go on a simple errand or accompany them to an appointment means a great deal to them. If I lived in an urban area, I would enjoy volunteering like Escort Rider--getting matched to a school and visiting a few times a week to read to students and participate in a school activity or project. Not sure if the small schools in my area need this help in the way that city schools do.
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Old 05-10-2013, 06:19 AM
 
2,634 posts, read 3,685,270 times
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I was just 'speaking' about this to another poster earlier this morning. Or a variation of it. Here's the article. I think it's most interesting. Perhaps it should have it's own thread, but I think it fits here. (If not, just let me know, OP.)

Relax, Relax at the Dying of the Light - Truthdig
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Old 05-10-2013, 06:30 AM
 
Location: Los Angeles area
14,017 posts, read 20,869,471 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Caladium View Post
I have tried a few volunteer jobs that felt more like I was doing busy work rather than actually doing something helpful. It takes a few tries to find the right fit. Fortunately, it's no big deal to leave a volunteer job if you don't like it.
That's right, and it's an important point. I was lucky, very lucky, to fall into something I loved without effort or any particular merit on my part. Most other folks will have to be more active in seeking out something which is a good fit for them personally. If they hit a few potholes along the road, take a few wrong turns on the way, that's O.K.!
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Old 05-10-2013, 06:35 AM
 
Location: Los Angeles area
14,017 posts, read 20,869,471 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Fern435 View Post
Escort Rider, it is so important for children that age to have a steady, thoughtful male adult presence in their lives. I'm certain your volunteer work with the school will have long-lasting positive affects on those students. Clearly it already has, from their thank you messages (loved their comments you shared). It is heartening to know that people still respond to real connections with kind, sincere people.

After our daughter goes to college, I plan to volunteer at the nearby veterans' home and hospital. Many of these people have little or no family support and not much to look forward to. Having a non-medical person visit regularly to read books, talk with them, go on a simple errand or accompany them to an appointment means a great deal to them. If I lived in an urban area, I would enjoy volunteering like Escort Rider--getting matched to a school and visiting a few times a week to read to students and participate in a school activity or project. Not sure if the small schools in my area need this help in the way that city schools do.
Thanks for the kind words - much appreciated. Good point about being of service to the elderly - there is a great need there.

As for your final sentence, you should ask of course! If you don't ask, you won't know.
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Old 05-10-2013, 06:46 AM
 
Location: Gorgeous Scotland
4,105 posts, read 5,534,581 times
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I posted this in this forum quite a while ago and nobody was interested, but will try again.

After we retired my dh and I went to Uganda for two years. My husband was the volunteer - training teachers. Arranging to do this can be a major PITA, but we did it. We rented our house to friends. I am so glad we went. It was the experience of a lifetime. And those 50+ are the most likely to stay for the entire 2 years. The young ones often quit.
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Old 05-10-2013, 06:53 AM
 
Location: Los Angeles area
14,017 posts, read 20,869,471 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Fran66 View Post
I was just 'speaking' about this to another poster earlier this morning. Or a variation of it. Here's the article. I think it's most interesting. Perhaps it should have it's own thread, but I think it fits here. (If not, just let me know, OP.)

Relax, Relax at the Dying of the Light - Truthdig
Excellent, thought-provoking article, which does indeed belong in this thread. Thanks.

(As an aside, even if I didn't agree that the article fits here, that wouldn't matter. I do not feel that I control a thread just because I started it. I am not the "on-topic" thread police. Some drift in the topic is normal and inevitable. The OP of a thread, in my view, is simply a person who started a particular conversation. Others then take the ball and run with it, sometimes in unexpected directions which can be interesting, informative, and productive.)
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Old 05-10-2013, 07:01 AM
 
Location: Los Angeles area
14,017 posts, read 20,869,471 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ameriscot View Post
I posted this in this forum quite a while ago and nobody was interested, but will try again.

After we retired my dh and I went to Uganda for two years. My husband was the volunteer - training teachers. Arranging to do this can be a major PITA, but we did it. We rented our house to friends. I am so glad we went. It was the experience of a lifetime. And those 50+ are the most likely to stay for the entire 2 years. The young ones often quit.
What a wonderful way to get out of one's rut (routine), have a real adventure, and contribute to other people in a meaningful way at the same time. Congratulations on the courage it took to take that unusual step.
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Old 05-10-2013, 07:20 AM
 
342 posts, read 716,245 times
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Escort Rider, thank you for a wonderful story and good thread idea. Your passion for what you're doing shines through, and the ability to make a difference in a child's life is a wonderful thing.

My volunteering involves our library - I'm president of the Friends group. When we moved here 3 years ago, I was used to much larger libraries (we moved to a less developed area of NJ) and was quite disappointed in the size of our new library. They were involved in moving to a larger building, and DH and I instantly got involved. In the last two years, our new library has quickly grown into a wonderful community resource.

There are several book clubs, a lego club, a meeting and resource center for the unemployed, a fabulous summer reading program and many, many more.

What we're finding is that as people use and appreciate the library, many volunteer. For example, a retired elementary school music teacher moved here and joined the book club and mah jong group. She then volunteered to run a story hour for children that involved music (we have a donated piano). That group is now filled to overflowing. Someone else started an origami class, which is very well attended. We also get many people who do one time presentations. We have an astronomy group who meet at the library, and they ran a program teaching kids to make soda straw rockets. I took my granddaughters to that and they loved it. They also set up telescopes and we looked at sun spots.

There are many craft projects for the kids, which are usually well attended. The best part of that is the kids come for the crafts and leave with books!

For those that don't want their taxes to pay for such activities, our Friends Group raises the money for all these activities.

I'm most proud of all the children's activities we have - because teaching a love of reading is a wonderful thing.

DH and I laugh that we never go to the library if we're in a hurry, because we always get side tracked with one issue or another or just with talking to people we bump into.

I've so enjoyed being a part of helping to make our library the wonderful resource to the community that it has become.
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Old 05-10-2013, 07:24 AM
 
2,634 posts, read 3,685,270 times
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This is becoming a great thread. I'm always touched by what retirees do re volunteering, and this thread will give me -- and most likely others also -- new ideas.

I'm also discovering a new appreciation for the Internet. (I've been on it since 1994. I tend to take it for granted.) For instance, Ameriscot is from Scotland. Not ALL that many years ago we would never have heard from her and about her 2 years in Uganda. Of course, the vast majority of us wouldn't have heard from each other either. :-)

I've read recent articles about the 'superficiality' of connections/relationships made via 'technology', but we've had some pretty meaningful discussions on C-D. The Internet certainly has its place and I would like to think of it as a vehicle more often for good than for bad.
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Old 05-10-2013, 08:25 AM
 
Location: Gorgeous Scotland
4,105 posts, read 5,534,581 times
Reputation: 3351
Quote:
Originally Posted by Escort Rider View Post
What a wonderful way to get out of one's rut (routine), have a real adventure, and contribute to other people in a meaningful way at the same time. Congratulations on the courage it took to take that unusual step.
It was a fabulous experience. We got to be tourists as well and went on many safaris. The people are so friendly!
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