Volunteering

[Fibroman]

Sick of Job Center sending me on work related courses over the last 5 years. Spent 4 weeks picking up litter in one of the roughest Council Estates in Manchester. Dozens of rubbish courses on how to apply for work. I finally got them off my back by Volunteer Driving for the local Volunteer Center. 4 months now been driving the elderly to Hospital and Doctor appointments. Some are in wheel chairs but most struggle to walk short distances. I love my job , how can I feel sorry for myself when I am helping people much worse off than me. I work Mondays and Tuesdays but help out occasionally on other days. Even on easy weeks I feel really tired by Wednesday and takes me a few days to feel better. I wish I had done this earlier , no amount of antidepressants can give you joy of helping those who are worse off than you.

I know many of you struggle from day to day as I do , but some of you could help others. there are many schemes to help the elderly or physically disabled. Some could just be ringing those at risk every day to make sure they are OK. Please consider contacting your local Volunteer Center and ask about local schemes.

Help yourself by helping others

[Hazel_Angelstar Administrator FMA UK Staff]

Volunteering is a great way to keep yourself motivated, and give you a sense of purpose in life. I've volunteered and helped run community groups for 20 years (with a couple of breaks when health really bad).

Volunteering led to me taking on part time paid work. If it hadn't been for my volunteering, I would never have had the confidence to return to work.

Xxx

[rosewine]

Well done I am so glad that you are finding your valuable volunteering role so fulfilling. I worked for a charity for many years and actually started off as a volunteer with them after having to give up my previous job through ill health and decided when my health improved to do something for others in one way healing myself. That led to a part time job and then to a full time one.

I had volunteers working for me and in fact I now have a very close long term friend who I met when she volunter. I know the volunteers got as much out of it as the people they were helping and many said they had initially started volunteering because either through ill health they felt they could not do a paid job because of the hours or because they themselves were going through a bad patch and needed something to take their minds of it.

[fenbadger]

Agreed with all the above. I really don't like my work, but the volunteering gives me reason to live. Just got back from a meeting tonight, talking rubbish - who said "nothing new"? On the waste section of Action on Climate Change

[TheAuthor]

What a wonderful post, thank you so much for sharing. I want to genuinely and sincerely wish you all the best of luck.

All my hopes and dreams for you

Ken