Give Yourself Away

Earlier this year I volunteered as a literacy tutor to work with 1st graders at a nearby elementary school. Every Monday for an hour I went to the school to work with two or three of the children who most needed reading help. It quickly became apparent that there were some children who had hardly ever held a book, much less read one. And forget about owning one!

I ended up working with one little boy, Tavion, who was far behind in his skills. Nearing the end of his 1st grade year and he still was not recognizing sight words like "to", "the" and "for". We only shared about four tutoring sessions before he moved, again. I learned that he had moved numerous times in his young life, which in part explained his lack of reading skills.

This past week the school hosted a volunteer appreciation breakfast for everyone who had volunteered during the year. We were celebrated and acknowledged for our contribution. The teachers and administrators honored us for helping lighten their load. It was hard to choke back tears as I thought about how powerful one simple act of giving could be.

But even without the acknowledgement and appreciation, I had already made the decision to continue on next year. I will never forget the eager faces that greeted me each week. I will never forget the joy I witnessed when one of them would recognize a word and remember it the next week. I will never forget the sense of fulfillment I had from witnessing the learning and confidence that seemed to grow with each new victory, each new word added to a child's reading vocabulary. And it is my heartfelt hope that one little boy will remember that someone cared enough to spend time with him, helping him to learn this most essential skill.

Now this is not a story about me. It is a story about thousands of volunteers who make a difference in thousands of ways every day. If you are one of them, I celebrate you! If you have not yet found the place you'd like to give yourself away, please do not wait a moment longer to find one. A newspaper columnist recently wrote an editorial on how community service could transform our nation. I believe he was right. And even if you don't want to make a regular commitment to a single project or cause, find a neighbor that needs a hand. Pay attention to the elderly person who needs help putting groceries in their car. Volunteer to babysit for a young parent who needs some time to breathe.

Performing even one single act of kindness can transform a day-yours and someone else's. Below is a list of 10 ways you can give yourself away:

1. Volunteer to tutor at a school-any level from elementary through high school. You will be welcomed with open arms.
2. Contact a hospital or assisted living facility about volunteer opportunities. There are countless people who are literally dying for human connection.
3. Volunteer to pack weekend food backpacks for at risk children.
4. Offer to conduct a free workshop or seminar for an organization that helps displaced workers.
5. Set up a neighborhood clean-up project. (Someone did this in a neighborhood near me recently and several hundred volunteers turned out.)
6. Contact a community service program and offer to answer phones or do office work.
7. Get in touch with your local Habitat for Humanity organization and volunteer for one of their home-building projects. Prior experience is not required!
8. Find out about volunteer opportunities with veterans through a local veteran's hospital or other organization.
9. Organize a yard or garage sale and give the proceeds to a charity in your area.
10. Volunteer to serve meals at a local shelter or find out about other service opportunities to those going through tough times.

In truth, when you volunteer, will not be "giving your time away." You will be compensated in countless ways for your generous act. And if there is any truth to the old proverb that says "as you give so shall you receive," be prepared to be abundantly rewarded, perhaps not financially, but in ways you cannot put a price on. Anne Frank, the prophetic Jewish girl whose diary has inspired millions put it beautifully when she wrote, "How wonderful it is that no one need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world."

Find a way this week to start improving the world by giving yourself away.