Home » Volunteering - get involved, and commit to it. What's the big deal?
So I moved to Atlanta five years ago with several priorities and goals in mind. 1 - get a job 2 - find a place to live 3 - make some friends 4 - learn about some "cool" places in ATL 5 - find some professional networking opportunities 6 - start volunteering! With all the packing, planning, moving, interviewing, stressing out, working, and everything else involved with moving to a new city, guess which one got push to the bottom of the list.....and delayed by two years? Yep, volunteering. Why? I'm not sure. Laziness, selfishness, lack of time? Maybe. Part of me wanted to think it was all of these things, but really I think it was more of just a lack of any idea where to begin! I went to the United Way website eager to plug into something right away.....but I was overwhelmed by the number and broadness of volunteering opportunities available. Meanwhile, my life happened to be taking place and other things got priority over volunteering. As a matter of fact, I ended up accomplishing #'s 1 through 5 quite successfully. I got a great job; I found a place to live in a cool part of town (solving #'s 2 & 4 is one fell swoop); I've developed a great professional network; I made some great friends that have in turn introduced me to other great friends, some of these friends I've even networked and partnered with from a business standpoint, which falls nicely in line with goal #5. Things were going great, but I found myself still telling people that one of my goals of moving to Atlanta was to get involved in volunteering, it had been over two years since I moved to Atlanta! I guess the fact that in conversations I kept nonchalantly mentioning that I wanted to volunteer is what ultimately led me to the right volunteering opportunity. A new girl had started working at our office, and in petty conversation with her, sure enough, I mentioned that I wanted to get involved in volunteering somehow. She immediately said, "the job I just came from was actually working in the offices for Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Metro Atlanta (www.bbbsatl.org)! I still help them out and train new people on the weekends! You'd be great as a Big Brother!" "Well, um?" I thought. "That sounds like something I could probably do.", while thinking to myself, "why did I have to open my big mouth!?!". I thought about trying to change the subject quickly, then I thought that maybe this would be my foot in the door to volunteering. She said, "You can even submit an application online, they ask for a 1 year commitment if you are matched up with a Little Brother". I thought, "I can do that, I can do anything for a year." So I applied online that day and ended up getting matched up with a Little Brother. I've now been matched up for over two and a half years with my Little Brother, he's now thirteen. We've been to Braves and Falcons games; played football with friends and attended BBBS group activities; he and I have studied for his finals and even played chess together. It's been a great two and a half years for me, and I've seen him grow as well. My Little Brother is a very nice, yet quiet and shy young man. He's never met his dad, and his mother died from HIV/AIDS years ago. He, his brother and two sisters have been in a great foster family, a foster Mom and Grandmother duo, for years now. They certainly have their hands full with these kids, as well as grown kids of their own, so it's nice to know I'm helping them out as well. They are the true significant volunteers who have made the greatest commitment in this situation. Because of the impact that HIV/AIDS has had on my Little Brother (his mom died, he is not infected), two years ago we were also been pulled into a parallel group that helps brighten the lives of children affected and effected by HIV/AIDS. It's the H.E.R.O. - Heart Everywhere Reaching Out (www.heroforchildren.com) program. Since becoming involved in the life of my Little Brother, both through the events and activities that BBBS and H.E.R.O. provide, in addition to the things we do on our own, I've really seen him come out of his shell and open up to others a lot more. He's started playing football for his middle school, he's doing well in school, and he's started thinking and talking more about his future. It's been exciting to see him grow, and it's been rewarding to feel that I'm a part of that growth in some way. I've also accomplished another one of my main goals I had when moving to Atlanta five years ago, I've made a great friend that I plan to stay in touch with for life! And you know what? The time I've spent volunteering doesn't cause me to miss out on anything that I used to do previously, I just prioritize and plan a little better, and maybe watch a little less TV. All it takes is making a commitment to get involved, and sticking to that commitment. Heck, I've even had time to start a business (iwiLetter.com - send real letters, write online) and have taken up golf in the last year. I just have to get up much earlier on the weekends now! Oh, and I've finally started recycling too! Doug Spears