The reality of volunteering

I’ve learned a lot about volunteering from my experience in reading to shelter kids. The biggest thing I’ve learned is that the exchange of money is often what makes people accountable.

On at least two occasions, my team of volunteers has showed up at the shelter to read, only to find that the read-aloud for that night had been cancelled and no one had bothered to let us know.

On the flip side, when I first started volunteering, there were several nights when no one on a team showed up to read and the children (who in many cases had already experienced rejection) were left abandoned in the reading room waiting for someone to read to them.

I have come to realize that if money were exchanging hands, probably neither of these things would have happened. But in both cases there was no penalty for the failure.

I’ve also come to see that it’s often the shit work that’s given to volunteers in an organization -- stuffing envelopes, making routine phone calls, fairly menial things.

These thoughts somewhat temper my enthusiasm to throw myself into a volunteer situation that involves a greater chunk of my time. Although one thing that appeals to me is the idea of volunteering in an animal shelter. It would have to be one that did not euthanize the animals (and I hear there is such a place in DC), or otherwise I just couldn’t stand to say goodbye and would probably end up bringing home every stray dog and cat destined to be killed.

If I could find the right volunteer job that showed me the respect and consideration I think I deserve and allowed me to make a contribution to society, I would sign up. But for now my monthly read-aloud at the shelter may be the extent of my volunteering efforts.