A lot of people like the idea of volunteering but when it comes down to actually doing it, life can easily get in the way. Work and school schedules may prevent you from committing to an organization long term or the idea of leaving your neighborhood in your free time is just too much to bear. Maybe you think you don’t have anything you can offer or that it may even be depressing. These are all reasonable worries but the beauty is, there are hundreds of things you can do and once you get started with an organization that is the right fit, you will most likely find it fulfilling and even fun. There are so many groups out there that really need your help, whether it’s just one hour, one afternoon or an evening a week. I’ll give you some examples of great organizations but my personal favorite is New York Cares. They just make it so damn easy to do so much good!
For example, in the listing of NY Cares current projects, the events include: ’Bedtime Stories’ at the library while parents attend ESOL classes, ‘Culinary Explorers’ teaching children how to prepare healthy and tasty snacks, taking kids to the Bronx Zoo, building a garden shed for a community garden, planting flowers and bulbs at a park, soup kitchens, helping adult immigrants with basic computer skills, morning math games with 4th graders (perhaps the oldest age group I could actually help with math), English conversation partners with Arab-American families, walking dogs at the animal shelter, yoga classes for children with autism and other disabilities, photoshop tutorials, ‘Young Authors Club’ and perhaps most fun, ”Mad Scientists: Participate in hands-on science projects with real-world applications with middle school students from Girls Preparatory Charter School. Possible experiments include exploring the anatomy and growth of plants, testing the freezing temperature of ice cream, and examining your own DNA.” Um, yeah! That sounds awesome! The list goes on and on. There really is something for everyone!
I have volunteered as a dog walker, reading with kids in after school programs and most recently as a mural artist on New York Cares Day. This is a special city-wide volunteer day held every fall to revitalize our public schools. It has been such a fun and fulfilling project for me over the past two years and it always re-lights my spark to volunteer more. You never regret the time you spend, you can invite friends to help out (thanks again, guys!!) and you also meet really great people. The nicest thing about this organization in particular is you can volunteer as much or as little as you like. I’m a freelancer so I can never sign on to the 6 week commitments but I can commit to weekends and the random week day off. With so much flexibility and so many projects, you are bound to see something that calls your name.
You can check out volunteering opportunities with NY Cares plus more listings at NYC.gov and if you are outside of the NY metro area, try VolunteerMatch.org or 1-800-volunteer.org as well. For holiday specific volunteer opportunities, you can go here.
Here are some other great organizations that could use your help if you are particularly fond of furry friends (and maybe your landlord isn’t):
Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals
Give volunteering a shot because this Big Apple has plenty of people who could use your help and the internet / cable / your bed / _______ will still be there when you get home.
P.S. Here are some of the murals we painted on NY Cares Day 2009 & 2010!
