|
Circles of Love
By
Joan E. Thompson |
Plymouth
- You volunteer each
moment your behavior is a response “to help.” You become a
volunteer when you act upon opportunities to help, as often
as they occur and as naturally as you breathe.
At home in the family circle is where the first helpful acts
occur. They continue within the family as we comfort or care
for a sick loved one, baby, sibling or grandparent. Helping
out becomes volunteering as soon as we serve not because we
“must” but because we “want” to – to help share the load for
someone else. When our pride in the activity motivates us to
perform it even better, we are volunteering to improve its
outcome. We may start out helping around the house because
we are told to do it – it’s our “duty.” But as soon as we
enter into the activity voluntarily, or seek opportunities
to perform it more often, we strengthen our persona as a
volunteer and we deepen the love of helpfulness in our
family circle.
So it is with friends. They create the first opportunity
outside our immediate family to help – whenever they ask or
we see their need. Even learning to share is a form of
volunteering. A child sees you need (or want) what she has
and she offers it to you voluntarily. It begins with a toy.
But we soon learn to volunteer more precious possessions: an
outfit, a car, or a sympathetic shoulder to cry on. Good
friends love and help each other as if they were family. The
greater the love for someone who needs help, the less it
feels like “I have to help” and more like “I want to do
everything I can!” We find friends in our communities of
faith, common interest groups, neighborhoods, work or social
settings, or develop them among acquaintances once we
discover a shared experience like the loss of a loved one.
As soon as our volunteering extends to “friends” we do not
know, the wider our circle of helping grows and the deeper
our conscious commitment to be a volunteer. Being a
volunteer is how we approach life, not just what we do in an
assignment for a non-profit organization.
Valentine’s Day is traditionally a time to tell our family
and friends that we love them. Consider sharing your love –
and help – in a new volunteer role this Valentine season. Do
it through a cause or group that is close to the heart of
someone you know and love. Happy Valentine’s Day!
|
About The Author
Joan Thompson is the Executive Director for Mayflower RSVP,
Inc., a non-profit organization mobilizing Volunteer Service
Activities in Plymouth County, Massachusetts. She has
directed RSVP’s Retired & Senior Volunteer Program for
nearly 30 years, working with 200 public/private, health,
human service, and educational organizations to provide
meaningful volunteer service opportunities for members in
the RSVP program. She is a trainer in Volunteer Systems
Management for local and national organizations and a member
of AVA, the International Association for Volunteer
Administration. She may be contacted at RSVP’s Plymouth
County headquarters, (508) 746-7787 or MayflowerRSVP@Verizon.net.
|
|
