Volunteering

I think my willingness to volunteer began in high school. You see, I went to a private Christian high school in Sheboygan, and therefore had to pay tuition. If you couldn't pay it in full you could do what was called "service hours." These were basically hours you volunteered at different places to supplement your tuition. Therefore I volunteered at places like Good As New, which is a thrift store in nearby Cedar Grove where all proceeds go back to Christian High, the name of my former high school. I also volunteered at the local animal shelter and at the school itself as well, helping out with certain events or cleaning and such.

Not only that, but when I was a senior we were required to complete a project called Capstone. Which was basically a year long project that revolved around a local problem in Sheboygan and how as Christians we could produce a solution. I had decided to do mine on horse abuse and slaughter, since the slaughter issue was being heavily debated in congress at the time. I came up with myriad information and had no problem writing my lengthy paper and presenting a display. But the most rewarding part of the experience? Was the mandatory service hours I had to put in for the project. These service hours took me to two different horse rescue farms around Sheboygan. At one I learned a great deal of information but at the other, that was where I found the real information. That farm happened to be Sunrise Horse Farm in Reedsville, Wisconsin run by Mary Ellen Kiel. I didn't know it at the time but when I first interviewed her I had stumbled upon a very special and kind woman. I left her farm yearning to return and have been returning and helping out ever since! One special thing about volunteering is you never know what kind of doors it'll open for you, or where it'll take you.

All of these experiences has led me to continue volunteering in my free time. Which includes going over to Sheboygan's local library each Tuesday and helping out my former co-workers with different tasks, and every Thursday helping out with the cats at PetsMart that come in from the Humane Society. Both of these volunteering "jobs" are very fulfilling and help add flavor and variety to my life. It's also stretched me as a person, especially with the PetsMart volunteering. I've always loved cats and find it very rewarding to get to play with and care for them. Also, to meet potential adopters and see the cats go to their "forever homes." I love that!

Whether you are an avid volunteer, have just started out, or are throwing the idea around and trying to get a good feel for it, I hope you can relate to my experiences. Volunteering has taken me so many places and given me so many opportunities! Take Sunrise Horse Farm. If it hadn't been for my high school project and a little digging around on the Internet, there's a big chance I probably wouldn't have ever heard of it. Sure it's forty-five minutes away from Sheboygan and because I don't drive someone always has to drive me back and forth but...the chance to help out with the horses and be around some amazing people is worth it. Like I've said hundreds of times before, for me there something so healing and liberating about the countryside and being around horses. Just as there's something so rewarding about volunteering! Whether I'm brushing a horse or filing paperwork at Sunrise, or copying old newsprint articles or discarding books at the library or petting and brushing cats at PetsMart, it doesn't matter. All of these things are considered volunteering and make my life better because of it.

If you've never volunteered and don't consider yourself the type of person to do so, I ask that you please consider the thought that maybe you are. I'm a naturally introverted person who doesn't like stepping out of "my shell" per se and meeting new people, doing new things. But after just a few days with Mary Ellen on her farm I opened up and began realizing how special volunteering is and how it affects so many people. Who knows? Maybe you'll surprise yourself! I know I did.