According to the United States Bureau of Labor, in 2012 about 64.5 million Americans volunteered their time at least once between September 2011 and September 2012. Were you one of them? As this year’s United Way campaign continues, we would like you to share your stories about where you like to volunteer. It could be a story about why you volunteer, the difference you have made, or even about the organization that you volunteer through.
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Last weekend I volunteered in two ways: on Saturday, I participated in the Mayor's Fall Clean-up, joining with others in Lake Walker Community Association to clean up a green space on the border of our neighborhood in north Baltimore. On Sunday, I joined with others in the congregation at six:eight (a United Church of Christ church) to make and deliver to Baltimore's homeless 99 lunches and 45 or so health kits.
I have had my dog certified through PAL to do hospital visits. We attend approximately 10 pet therapy groups each month at a behavioral health hospital. The groups are varied and are mostly attended by adolescents and adults with psychiatric illness and/or addiction problems. We have had some wonderful experiences--the most notable was when a very ill patient spoke for the first time in several days when petting the dog.
I volunteer as a greeter in my church once or twice a month. I think it's important to make people feel welcome when they come in and to answer any questions they have. I also make a casserole once a month for Daily Bread. About a month ago, I volunteered at a garden in my neighborhood. It was organized through United Way. The food from the garden supplies the Howard County food bank. It feels good to know that I'm contributing to the larger good.
I have a United Way story to share. One year searching through a booklet to find an organization that I could connect to I found an agency in the city that help homeless women. So, I made my pledge. Some time later they sent a thank you ltr and a bookmark. I thought that was nice. One day in my neighborhood I decided to take a different route ...and there it was... the same statue that was on the bookmark. It made me so happy to know I had contributed to something that I could see tangibly. About a year ago I participate in a 5k marathon for the same organization...the route went right pass the facility again. It still leaves a great feeling when I think about it 🙂