- Joined
- Oct 10, 2015
- Messages
- 130
- Reaction score
- 66
I keep seeing these comments on here regarding volunteering and community service, whether clinical or non-clincal: "Quality over quantity, "Check-box applicants do not stand out", "Meaningless hours are not helpful."
Thinking of these quotes, I really enjoy most of my extracurricular activities, especially clinical volunteering, club involvement, Teach For America, Best Buddies, my part-time job, and academic societies.
However, at HfH specifically, I do not really enjoy my time there, and, to an extent, feel as if I am just filling in hours for the sake of it (like a check-box). They seem to have a limited number of positions and prefer people to simply work in the ReStore and go on builds every so often, but many people like building, so it is actually competitive! The Restore is somewhat boring as volunteers are only selling, moving, and fixing donated items. Every now and then (once every two months?) a family member comes in to the store and may tell their story (if they are willing to share), which is really rewarding and meaningful. These moments usually make volunteering at HfH enjoyable. I am also extremely aware of the organization's mission, foundation, and how I am helping families by putting in a lot of time. Besides this, I feel as if my volunteering hours at HfH are somewhat bleak as I can only remember from time to time what I am there for. To clarify, when I volunteer at HfH, I am so preoccupied with the current tasks that I tend to forget why I am helping this organization in the first place.
So my question is: Is it alright to feel this way about community service/general volunteering? I feel as if many community service/general volunteering lack social interaction and may feel like 'busy work.' Social interaction usually makes volunteering feel more worthwhile, enjoyable, and meaningful. I also volunteer for Teach For America and Best Buddies, which I find to be more social and meaningful.
Sorry for the venting. I was just curious about this general mindset about volunteering positions.
Thinking of these quotes, I really enjoy most of my extracurricular activities, especially clinical volunteering, club involvement, Teach For America, Best Buddies, my part-time job, and academic societies.
However, at HfH specifically, I do not really enjoy my time there, and, to an extent, feel as if I am just filling in hours for the sake of it (like a check-box). They seem to have a limited number of positions and prefer people to simply work in the ReStore and go on builds every so often, but many people like building, so it is actually competitive! The Restore is somewhat boring as volunteers are only selling, moving, and fixing donated items. Every now and then (once every two months?) a family member comes in to the store and may tell their story (if they are willing to share), which is really rewarding and meaningful. These moments usually make volunteering at HfH enjoyable. I am also extremely aware of the organization's mission, foundation, and how I am helping families by putting in a lot of time. Besides this, I feel as if my volunteering hours at HfH are somewhat bleak as I can only remember from time to time what I am there for. To clarify, when I volunteer at HfH, I am so preoccupied with the current tasks that I tend to forget why I am helping this organization in the first place.
So my question is: Is it alright to feel this way about community service/general volunteering? I feel as if many community service/general volunteering lack social interaction and may feel like 'busy work.' Social interaction usually makes volunteering feel more worthwhile, enjoyable, and meaningful. I also volunteer for Teach For America and Best Buddies, which I find to be more social and meaningful.
Sorry for the venting. I was just curious about this general mindset about volunteering positions.
