https://www.reddit.com/r/AskOldPeople/comments/1h2z056/have_you_done_and_volunteer_work/
created by AbleButton4912 on 29/11/2024 at 23:33 UTC
39 upvotes, 75 top-level comments (showing 25)
I have found that since I retired that I need things to stimulate me and me out of the house. Doing volunteer work has done that and I find it very rewarding.
Comment by AutoModerator at 29/11/2024 at 23:33 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
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Comment by airckarc at 29/11/2024 at 23:55 UTC
16 upvotes, 0 direct replies
My dad has volunteered extensively during his 20 years of retirement. He mainly works in parks, pulling ivy and taking care of his assigned areas. His favorite is his current gig. He takes care of the Vietnam Veterans memorial park Washington Park in Portland OR.
My mom made up her own volunteer gig. She’d go to retirement homes and type out people’s oral stories to give to their families.
My mom has quit due to health issues and she also helps with her 103 year old dad.
They also travel a lot, though not as much after COVID.
Comment by KissMyGrits60 at 30/11/2024 at 00:01 UTC
13 upvotes, 2 direct replies
I am a volunteer, I am a Blind volunteer, for an organization called lighthouse Of Sarasota, it’s based in Sarasota, Florida, I am what they call a buddy, for people who go into the program, to let them know what to expect with the program, answer any questions they may have, this is basically a class for blind people, where they get independent, living skills, technology, technology, training, mobility training. Very important. I am what they call a buddy, so I have phone numbers of couple of ladies who are going into the program, because right now the classes are backed up, so they need advice and I’m the one who will mentor them and help them through that, by talking on the phone to them, and answering any questions they may have, or if they are fearful for anything. I am blind myself, I live independently, I can walk to the grocery store Publix now, to the post office, and I’m going to be learning to walk to another little Plaza. That’s right next to the grocery store, where they have the Chinese restaurant, nail salon, there’s a bait and tackle coffee shop, I’m willing to try that, lol. There’s even a Publix liquor store, but I don’t frequent that. But I’m going to be taught to walk to the stores. Being blind, you can live an independent life, the only thing I can’t do is drive a car. I couldn’t do it very well when I could see in the first place, so my children told me. Lol.
Comment by virtual_human at 29/11/2024 at 23:53 UTC
10 upvotes, 1 direct replies
I've been fostering kittens for four years.
Comment by NANNYNEGLEY at 30/11/2024 at 00:01 UTC*
11 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Back when I could be on my feet, I always volunteered in local libraries.
Back when I still had my voice, I volunteered to record cassette tapes for reading for the blind .
Back when I still had my eyesight, I volunteered in local schools to help slow kids learn to read.
Back when I was a Girl Scout troop leader, I volunteered to handle all the registrations and product sales for our service unit of 35 troops. I also volunteered to run badge workshops for those troops.
I miss it all but now that I’m retired from my paying jobs, I’m too old for any of it.
Comment by JoyousZephyr at 30/11/2024 at 00:37 UTC
9 upvotes, 0 direct replies
I found a nearby wildlife rehab, and it's changed my life. Three days a week I get splattered with poop, scratched, bitten, and covered in mud. I can tube-feed a possum, assist a baby raccoon who aspirated her formula, and test for waterproofing in a cormorant. I love it!
Comment by ohmyback1 at 30/11/2024 at 00:04 UTC
8 upvotes, 1 direct replies
Too much at church. Throughout my lifetime I have been the goto person. I'm done. When my church closes I'm taking a long break.
Comment by Taxed2much at 29/11/2024 at 23:42 UTC
5 upvotes, 0 direct replies
I still work and plan to do that for many more years, health permitting. But if I were to retire from work I would need something worthwhile to do, and the right volunteer work would be a good way to satisfy that need.
Comment by AdditionalCheetah354 at 29/11/2024 at 23:48 UTC
5 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Food bank, hospital, RedCross, Samaritan purse, mowing yards for disabled &poor, Salvation Army,
Comment by curmudgeonswife at 30/11/2024 at 01:18 UTC
5 upvotes, 0 direct replies
I volunteer at the animal shelter walking dogs and cleaning/playing with cats. Absolutely love it!
Comment by cannycandelabra at 29/11/2024 at 23:44 UTC
5 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Yes, I have volunteered with local not for profits and for my church. Sometimes I’ve been a regular volunteer and sometimes the volunteer activities have been project-specific. I think it’s well worth doing.
Comment by Rightbuthumble at 30/11/2024 at 00:41 UTC
5 upvotes, 0 direct replies
I spent years volunteering at the women's shelter where I tutored the children and helped the women who didn't graduate study for their GED, learn to build a resume, you know, literacy things. I also volunteered as a rape crisis councillor which amounted to meeting the victim at the hospital and staying with her. Since retiring, Covid hit and I was put on lockdown because of myimmune system and then my hip needs to be replaced and I have beginning Alzheimer's so I don't do much.
Comment by NewEngland-BigMac at 30/11/2024 at 00:21 UTC
3 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Of course, Habitat, Food Bank and Ronald McDonald house for about 12 years.
Comment by JanaKaySTL at 30/11/2024 at 00:22 UTC
3 upvotes, 0 direct replies
I volunteered at the Science Center collections department for about 25 years before covid. I really miss it. The manager has had to double up on her duties, so we aren't able to go in at the moment.
I also volunteered at my son's schools, and church events (Pridefest and things like that). It's fun to meet and talk with people.
Comment by 1stTinyPanther at 30/11/2024 at 00:38 UTC
3 upvotes, 0 direct replies
I’m still working, I also volunteer every weekend, go to church each Sunday, attend fellowship on Tuesdays, Bible Study Wednesdays, and then a seminary course Thursdays. Important to keep the brain active.
Comment by Odd_Bodkin at 30/11/2024 at 00:39 UTC
3 upvotes, 0 direct replies
I volunteered for years before retiring. I just do more now. Live it, love it.
Comment by BenGay29 at 30/11/2024 at 01:04 UTC
3 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Yes. I’ve taught prison literacy classes and served on the board of our local library.
Comment by karrynme at 30/11/2024 at 02:24 UTC
3 upvotes, 1 direct replies
I am a Master Gardener, great volunteer work with plenty of opportunities so you can find what works for you in the program. I like the diagnostics part and entomology but some folks dig in the gardens, some teach, some do outreach. Great organization and all info is science based.
Comment by pete_68 at 29/11/2024 at 23:46 UTC
2 upvotes, 0 direct replies
We periodically volunteer in a kitchen that feeds the poor. My wife used to manage part of it and we did more regularly, but we moved a bit away, so we only do it for big events, like Christmas, when they're having trouble finding people.
I've volunteered with Habitat for Humanity in the past.
And then my employer has an annual "day of service" where everyone in the company (about 1700 people) is expected to spend the day volunteering for some cause. The company organizes a lot of different things people can do. Everything from physical things like cleaning parks to online things like helping the Smithsonian do transcriptions of historical documents.
I'm retiring in 4 years and have lots of plans for volunteering (Habitat is high on my list). I agree that it's very rewarding. More rewarding than just about anything else, honestly. That's a big part of why I'm looking forward to retirement; to have time to volunteer in bigger ways.
Comment by Ok-Boat4839 at 30/11/2024 at 01:05 UTC
2 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Yes, my husband and I volunteer at the church and at the Legion.
Comment by The_Real_Undertoad at 30/11/2024 at 01:32 UTC
2 upvotes, 1 direct replies
Volunteered at Museum of Flight, and it was interesting and rewarding.
Comment by wickedlees at 30/11/2024 at 01:32 UTC
2 upvotes, 0 direct replies
I did foster dog work, food bank work, I worked full time, raising 3 children. Now I've sold my business and am a Gma full time. I'm hoping to volunteer full time next year if I'm able.
Comment by No_Roof_1910 at 30/11/2024 at 01:34 UTC
2 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Yes, I have and do.
I worked for 2 years with the homeless through my church. I did things during the week, not at our church.
I met with the street preacher in our city under the bridge, under an overpass downtown where he met and talked with homeless people.
I joined him to distribute goods our church had collected.
I'd take things we collected to his house for him and his wife to distribute other times. He used to be homeless and in prison himself. He and his wife lived in a home built by Habitat for Humanity in our city.
Each Sunday I left the house early to drive to a local Panera and I picked up all the old bread, cakes, bagels etc. from them to take it to the homeless shelter in our city and after delivering that there, I drove several from the homeless shelter to our church.
So, for those two years my wife and our 3 children drove separately to and from church as I left much earlier than they did and after church and then bible class, I had to drove those homeless back to the shelter.
I've done many other things as a one off here and there, not over and over like I did above.
At churches I've gone to over the decades I've gone up the minister to ask them what they wanted or needed to be done that no one wanted to do. They always had things they wanted done but some things folks didn't want to do as they chose other "nicer" things or "easier" things. I simply told the ministers that I'd do things they wanted done that hadn't been done.
I did that a lot while going through my divorce from my lying cheating ex-wife. I didn't want to be alone in my new place so I worked late, went to the gym, back to the office and I also went to bible classes and I went to speak to my minister to tell him to load me up with things he wanted/needed to be done so as to keep me busy as I didn't want to be home alone.
Deep cleaning, work outside the church cleaning up, planting, painting, mulching, planting flowers, deep cleaning inside, like in the bathrooms like using a toothbrush around the edges of the floors, around the toilets etc.
I don't think this next thing could be classified as volunteering but after my divorce, on Xmas day I'd take my 3 children, who were only 4, 6 and 9 when I divorced their lying cheating mother, to a nursing home on Xmas day.
I didn't know anyone there or have any family there. I just wanted the older folks to be able to see young children, to ask them what Santa had brought them etc.
Seeing the eyes light up from many of the older folks in those nursing homes was worth it.
My youngest child was so outgoing, he'd talk to strangers sitting at the next table in restaurants, on his own and they'd talk back to him, smile, laugh as he was really something, even at 3 and 4 years old.
He'd sit on the lap of some of those older women in their wheelchairs out in the common room and happily tell them what Santa had brought them and they were happier than he was just because they were seeing a young child on Xmas day.
Many of them didn't have any family or any other visitors on Xmas day. It was sad.
Many of them cried tears of joy.
Yes, I wanted to bring joy to those elderly people there but I also wanted to instill things in my young children, to do for others etc.
About 15 years ago the power was out in the city and it was cold, like 40 degrees and it was raining heavily and a cop was soaked directing traffic with no traffic lights working.
I saw him so I went through the McDonald's drive through and bought a large coffee and when he directed me to drive through the intersection, I stopped right next to him, lowered the window and gave him the coffee. He hesitated, he saw my 3 young kids in the car with me, I told him I saw him directing traffic in the rain so I went to the McDonald's right there to get him a coffee.
He smiled, thanked me and he was happy.
I did that mostly for my children to see, as an example. No, that wasn't volunteering either but a parent needs to model things for their children.
When my children were older kids, teens, I took them to a homeless shelter on Thanksgiving so we could all serve food, with others, to the homeless. My daughter wasn't so happy about it, she was uncomfortable, but it made an impression upon her.
That was years ago, she's 25 now and we've talked and she told me how happy she was I had them do things like that so it worked, which I knew it would.
Comment by bipolarbyproxy at 30/11/2024 at 01:38 UTC
2 upvotes, 0 direct replies
I've had various volunteer gigs all throughout adulthood. Over the last 40 years, I have done quite a bit as a volunteer and can't even remember them all... Detroit Radio Information Service--reading to the blind and visually impaired over WDET airways, Red Cross Ski Patrol, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, The Christopher Leadership Course volunteer, Cathecist, Meals on Wheels and became a Master Gardener through our local Extension Service. My mom volunteered through the Red Cross and instilled a volunteer responsibility in both my sister and I.
Comment by Competitive-Ice2956 at 30/11/2024 at 03:42 UTC
2 upvotes, 0 direct replies
I volunteered with Big Brothers/Big Sisters for 10 years. I also played in a couple of community orchestras.