Profile of a Volunteer

Volunteerism is an area with which I am VERY familiar! Ever since a very young age I have seen the value in being a volunteer. My experience ranges from being a young girl watching my mother volunteer as a classroom mom, brownie leader, church group leader, and softball coach. It is no surprise that that I grew up to perform many of the same roles.
As a teenager I served as a Sunday School teacher and Junior 4-H leader. These activities were fun for me because I was able to pass on my knowledge and talents to younger children. As I grew older and began my family my volunteer activities extended to Girl Scout Leader, Softball and Basketball Coach and 4-H Leader. Yes, all at the same time :)
These experiences were very rewarding for me at the time because they kept me involved with my own children and many of the parents and other leaders were uplifting. But, the true reward came when I would learn about the successes that the young ones I served where experiencing. These are many but I will only focus on a few.
One experience was reading about a recycling project that a few of the girls who were in my Brownie and Junior Girl Scout troop completed in our community. They set up a recycling drive and drop off center at our local fire department. These girls personally manned this drop off spot and arranged pick of recyclables. This is has been passed on to other troops over the years and is still going strong. The reason this is rewarding to me is because the passion for recyling began with discussions and personal commitments during our meetings when they are young.
Another experience involves a little girl who I chose to be on my softball team. This girl was one of the last to be picked because it did not appear that she had a talent for softball. When coaching you see alot of children that their parents want them to be involved with sports or activities but thier hearts are not really involved. Well this little girl had heart. She always gave her best effort, she just didn't have the skills to be successful. I spent some extra time with her, often before and after practice. We worked tirelessly on proper form when throwing, catching and batting. She improved immensely during that season, but I was not sure she would continue playing. Well, a very proud moment happened several years later when I attended my daughter's varsity game and this girl was on the opposing team. In our area softball is a very competitive sport and it is not easy to make the team. While watching her play I could see her using some of the tools that I had taught her so many years ago. During the game her mother came over to me and thanked me for working with her and helping her with skills so that she could follow her dream of playing softball. I know that others along the way had a lot to do with her improving, but I wonder what would have happened if she wouldn't have had the person to take the time when she was eleven to show her proper form.
Volunteering is exhausting and time consuming, but VERY rewarding!!