What volunteer work have you done in the past 30 years?

[Loren Booda]

In the past 30 years:

1982: As an assistant Scoutmaster for 2 and 1/2 years; 3 hours/week; teaching leadership and supervising campouts.

1984: At Goodwill Industries for 3 years; 5 hours/week; moving books and tutoring.

1987: At a local park and nature center for 17 years; 3 hours/week; from cleaning bathrooms to overseeing the park.

2000: At a local nursing home for 11 years to present; 2 hours/week; working with the Activities Department.

 

[hypatia]

Council Commissioner, Detroit area Boyscouts, 22 years.
Local animal shelter, 7 years.

Lately I have been in a reading program with a local orphanage. The kids are aged infant to 10, it really has been enjoyable.

 

[physics girl phd]

Lately I have been in a reading program with a local orphanage. The kids are aged infant to 10, it really has been enjoyable.

That's cool, but for me it would be heart-breaking. My spouse and I considered adoption (to get a guaranteed girl) before the semi-accident of little E. I used to look at the adoption registry for our state and just cry because so many good kids are in the system (and of course many are disabled kids, like our oldest). Of course at that time I wass probably already getting emotional because of the unexpected expecting of little E.

I've volunteered some with the kids' schools on an on-call basis (for field trips and such), but that doesn't feel altruistic. It feels compelled. with the kids, though, there isn't much time. Hoping the since our middle child is now 12, I can do something joint with him. At 11, he wasn't old enough (for many organizations we looked at a volunteer has to be 16 or 18).

In the past I volunteered in the "metro-parks systems" of various towns I lived in... for about 4 years in a "assistant ranger" capacity at special programs (helping the attendees stay ordered on the hikes, and get something out of the activities) and for about 3 years at a special "park"/ historical farm (making butter, running the wood cookstove, etc.)