Chit-Chat Over Coffee Swirls (29)

Topic: Volunteering and Being Appreciative

There is another wonderful way of giving of yourself, especially in these times, without reaching into your pocket book or wallet to make a monetary donation and that is to volunteer. Volunteering can be a most effective gift that one can give to any worthy cause. When you volunteer you are giving of your time and expert knowledge. People who volunteer feel better emotionally, physically and psychologically.You can start out by choosing a small way to make a positive impact somewhere. Volunteering has its rewards. It is also a great way of overcoming a negative attitude. It helps you to take away your attention from the object of your worry, and place it on the need of someone else. Some choose to volunteer in their community while others volunteer from the comfort of their home. There are many outlets and opportunities to which you can contribute your special talents such as in the areas of working with youth, social services, hospitals, education, sports, culture, recreation as well as genealogical and history websites. When you volunteer, you set the time within your schedule. You can give one hour each week, or devote many hours to your choice of worthy cause. Volunteer work is necessary to our American economy. Although volunteers are not receiving remuneration for their services, the work that they accomplish is worth more to them than any money they could ever receive.

There is also another area, which many have the tendency to overlook and that is the field of Genealogy and History which is also in dire need for volunteer transcribers.While subscription sites are appearing everywhere on the web, there are those that continue to offer free access to its vast wealth of information. This has been a major undertaking for them. Volunteers, who sincerely have a passion for history and genealogy have devoted their time and own money to researching and gathering information from primary sources, as well as transcribing them so that they may be uploaded to the web for the benefit of the public.

Please let us not forget to always be appreciative of all free services that we have received from the efforts of volunteers. "Thank you" is one of the most positive words that we can communicate, yet it is the least used. Thank you expresses gratitude. Just saying a simple" thank you " each time can make all the difference in the world. It encourages that volunteer to go the extra mile, when he or she is being appreciated. Not only thank the volunteers for their services whether it be personal involvement or via transcribing information but also thank the administrators of websites, organizations and humanitarian causes that make it all possible to present this information to you.

"But history will judge you, and as the years pass, you will ultimately judge yourself, in the extent to which you have used your gifts and talents to lighten and enrich the lives of your fellow men. In your hands lies the future of your world and the fulfillment of the best qualities of your own spirit." Kennedy, Robert F. Politician (1925-1968)

Contact: miriam@thehistorybox.com