Can I use crocheting in this way for non-clinical volunteering?

[sangomango]

Several months ago I picked up crocheting stuffed animals as a hobby and eventually, I started doing a fundraiser where I make and sell Palestine sunbirds and donate money to charities that provide medical aid for Palestinians in Gaza and West Bank. I only keep a couple dollars from each exchange to cover the material costs, so I do not make any profit. I was also thinking about making stuffed animals to donate to fire departments and police stations (my thought was that a stuffed animal would be given to young children that are caught up in a traumatic situation), emergency nurseries, etc. and potentially organizing a group of creators to do the same. I only haven't started yet because of time.

Would this count as non-clinical volunteering since I am donating my time to make these things? It takes me 1.5 hours to make each bird and at least 5 hours to make one medium-sized stuffed animal. Whether it counts as volunteering or not (if it's even worth mentioning in my application), I would still try doing these things, I just wanted to see if I could kill two birds with one stone and potentially also put it on my application.

If it does not count, is there anything I can do creatively that would be meaningful volunteer work? I can also draw. I'm trying to think of creating volunteer opportunities for myself that I would genuinely do, and not just because I want to check off a to-do item, for my peace of mind.

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[Mr.Smile12]

Several months ago I picked up crocheting stuffed animals as a hobby and eventually, I started doing a fundraiser where I make and sell Palestine sunbirds and donate money to charities that provide medical aid for Palestinians in Gaza and West Bank. I only keep a couple dollars from each exchange to cover the material costs, so I do not make any profit. I was also thinking about making stuffed animals to donate to fire departments and police stations (my thought was that a stuffed animal would be given to young children that are caught up in a traumatic situation), emergency nurseries, etc. and potentially organizing a group of creators to do the same. I only haven't started yet because of time.

Would this count as non-clinical volunteering since I am donating my time to make these things? It takes me 1.5 hours to make each bird and at least 5 hours to make one medium-sized stuffed animal. Whether it counts as volunteering or not (if it's even worth mentioning in my application), I would still try doing these things, I just wanted to see if I could kill two birds with one stone and potentially also put it on my application.

If it does not count, is there anything I can do creatively that would be meaningful volunteer work? I can also draw. I'm trying to think of creating volunteer opportunities for myself that I would genuinely do, and not just because I want to check off a to-do item, for my peace of mind.

As described, it is using your hobby for fundraising/for a cause. It can be nonclinical volunteering but it doesn't demonstrate service orientation where you are alleviating others distress like food pantry, shelter volunteer, job/tax preparation, transportation services, or housing rehabilitation.

It's like playing the piano in the hospital lobby every week... and that has more of an argument for alleviating others distress (though the faculty I have worked with will say no).

What you are doing is common among predental applicants and we would count it both as manual dexterity and being entrepreneurial for a cause.

 

[LizzyM]

If you enjoy it, do it, but don't expect it to move the needle (or the crochet hook) in your favor. For non-clinical volunteering, the preference is to see you doing face-to-face service to those in distress: the hungry, the unhoused, the survivor of domestic violence, the person with mental illness, etc. The equivalent of 2 hours/wk or 8 hrs/month can make a big difference.

 

[Goro]

If it does not count, is there anything I can do creatively that would be meaningful volunteer work? I can also draw. I'm trying to think of creating volunteer opportunities for myself that I would genuinely do, and not just because I want to check off a to-do item, for my peace of mind.

Off the top of my head
Habitat for Humanity
Meals on Wheels
Reading to poor kids
Big Brothers/Big Sisters
Soup kitchens
Food banks

Overall, service to others less fortunate than yourself

 

[cj_cregg]

Agree with above. Could you teach a crochet class at a homeless or women's shelter, at an after school program for at risk kids, etc?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Agree with above. Could you teach a crochet class at a homeless or women's shelter, at an after school program for at risk kids, etc?

Teaching at a senior community center or assisted living would be nice.

 

[CitrusPeel]

I don't have advice on whether this counts as volunteering, but I wanted to say it's a wonderful thing you're choosing to do with your time, and you might also look into organizations that work with new immigrants and asylum seekers. I volunteer at one of these, and kids' faces light up when we offer them stuffed animals. However, we work off donations, and most of the toys we get are used and torn. I would love to be able to give them new stuffed animals that are made just for them.

If you find it creative to cook, you might also enjoy Food Not Bombs Presumably that counts as volunteering on AMCAS (at least I counted it that way) since you're cooking food and serving it directly to people who need it.

 

[LizzyM]

I don't have advice on whether this counts as volunteering, but I wanted to say it's a wonderful thing you're choosing to do with your time, and you might also look into organizations that work with new immigrants and asylum seekers. I volunteer at one of these, and kids' faces light up when we offer them stuffed animals. However, we work off donations, and most of the toys we get are used and torn. I would love to be able to give them new stuffed animals that are made just for them.

If you find it creative to cook, you might also enjoy Food Not Bombs Presumably that counts as volunteering on AMCAS (at least I counted it that way) since you're cooking food and serving it directly to people who need it.

Riffing off of that idea, there is at least one group that engages immigrant women as crafters and the women sell their crafts in order go buy more supplies and make a little extra money. An art therapist might help you organize such a group in your community.

Chicago Tonight | Local Crafting Group Knits Refugees, Immigrants Together | Season 2016 | WTTW

Immigrant and refugee women find joy, companionship and healing in knitting.

video.wttw.com

 

[jvj24601]

This is how applied using my crotcheting experience:

1. Hobby - Crotcheting, 7000 hours in undergrad.

2. Clinical volunteering - 4000 hours crocheting with cancer patients in cancer wards.

3. Nonclinical volunteering - 3000 crotcheting at parents' beach house during undergrad.

4. Leader ship - Created a non-profit named Crotcheteers Against Cancer. Put in 4000 hours spending time crocheting with cancer patients in cancer wards. Taught 9000 patients how to crotchet. Reached target fundraising goal of $100.000. Thanks mom and dad for the $99,999 in donations.

5. Diversity - Went on crotcheting missions to rural areas, bringing modern healing-by-crotchet technology to the peasants.

 

[sangomango]

I don't have advice on whether this counts as volunteering, but I wanted to say it's a wonderful thing you're choosing to do with your time, and you might also look into organizations that work with new immigrants and asylum seekers. I volunteer at one of these, and kids' faces light up when we offer them stuffed animals. However, we work off donations, and most of the toys we get are used and torn. I would love to be able to give them new stuffed animals that are made just for them.

If you find it creative to cook, you might also enjoy Food Not Bombs Presumably that counts as volunteering on AMCAS (at least I counted it that way) since you're cooking food and serving it directly to people who need it.

I took your advice and went to a Food Not Bombs distro/orientation near where I live! I really like the cause/values they're working for. I also reached out to a clinic that I recently learned used to have a group of immigrants who gather there to knit/crochet.

I have a kind of strange question FNB. Context: so the leader of the FNB branch I went to told us (the newbies) that this particular location/group (not FNB as a whole) is an anarchist group and has been labeled as a domestic terrorist organization (but I couldn't find that online). They don't actually partake in terrorist activities of course, they've just been identified in this way because they're assisting/supporting very marginalized communities in addition to the homeless/people living in poverty, and they block off a side street during their food distro times without a permit for like 2 hours once a week (the local police are aware of this and sometimes they try to come and disperse the gathering, but members of the org successfully deescalate the situation).

Could I potentially get into trouble or be immediately rejected if I were to say I volunteered for Food Not Bombs on my application? I'm going to volunteer either way because I genuinely really like what they do for the community and want to participate, but I'm trying to gauge if it's okay to put on my application or if it's best to just leave it out. It can also be seen as political (in regards to avidly supporting defunding the military/police for humanitarian causes and needs), and I don't know how much that matters to AdComs.

Also, thank you everyone for your feedback, this thread has been very helpful!

 

[LizzyM]

Food Not Bombs being labeled a terrorist organization goes way back to the 1980s and the ACLU issued a press release about it in 2005. I would not be the least bit worried about being a volunteer and listing it on your application.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

The Story Behind Food Not Bombs’ Simple, Radical Mission

Happy 40th anniversary!

www.teenvogue.com