Why I Volunteer In The Education Field

As I have gotten older, my desire to give back to the community has grown.  There are so many places that are in desperate need of our help and money.  So how do you find what area to spend your charity dollars and/or time?  Volunteering has taught me so much about myself.  In the past, I have rocked babies, worked at a food bank, gathered clothes for the homeless, and worked with women who got sideways with the law and needed to learn more about bankruptcy and establishing credit.  Ten years ago I started funding a scholarship for my friend Shaun O’Brien who was killed while serving in the Peace Corps.  What I learned by all of this is that I want to be spending my time empowering those who want to help themselves.  I want to work with those who are willing to learn.  My time is best suited for those who are motivated to get educated and learn how to be productive members of society.  We need less Americans asking for handouts and more citizens who are willing to take charge of their lives and be responsible for everything that happens in their lives.   And I mean everything.

For the last three weeks, four hours each week,  I have been volunteering at a local middle school teaching a Junior Achievement  program that helps kids learn more about their passions and which jobs will be best suited for them in the future.  We covered salaries, budgets, FICO scores, risk, and a host of other topics that will help them in the long run.  For the last ten years my JA experience with volunteering had always been with high school kids.  What a refreshing difference it was to engage with eleven and twelve-year olds.  Even though I raised three boys, I had forgotten in the midst of my parenting how truly lovely the pre-teen years were.  The kids were excited to be there and learn.  I did not always get the same reaction from high school students, their teachers,  or the women who were required to attend the classes in the recovery program.  I had so many kids raising their hands to answer questions, I got inspired.  Their enthusiasm was contagious.  Every time I left the school, I was energized and motivated to go back.  They told me how happy they were to learn about finance.  They cheered when they saw me.  Every day I left the classroom feeling much richer than when I walked in.  These kids helped me to feel better about the time I allocated to their learning.  It was immensely fulfilling.

And that is why I do this.

At the end of the day, we all need to feel appreciated.