There Will Be an Answer, Let it Be Volunteer Work

Chart courtesy of www.statcan.gc.ca.

Some of the biggest generators of volunteer work are local churches and religious communities. According to a Canadian study in 2013 [pictured above], religion was the fourth highest motivation for people to do volunteer work behind education and research, sports and recreation and social services. This could be because churches are already engineering a variety of poverty outreach programs like clothing drives, soup kitchens or religious concerts that are easy to get involved with. Other factors that might make religious volunteer work seem appealing include:

1. People already feel comfortable in their church community and find it easy to rally together.
2. People are lazy and don’t want to research community-based volunteer opportunities.
3. People feel like they are getting on God’s good side by volunteering through the church.

Some of those reasons are good and some … not so much, but you have to admit that the motivation of God supporting you because of your contributions to church volunteer work is pretty nifty. I caught up with SCAD sequential arts major and Christian Bible study group leader Anderson Carman to learn his thoughts on religious volunteer work and how it can be a healthy route to helping others.

Anderson Carman at a SCAD art exhibit. Image courtesy of Anderson Carman.

Anderson is tall and lanky and slurping on dry pasta with black olives in his SCAD dorm room when I meet up with him during finals week in early March. A friendly guy, Anderson is sporting a loose gray t-shirt and mossy-colored beanie cap along with a scruffy dirty blonde beard – the guy could’ve been a granola backpacker extra in The Revenant and I wouldn’t have thought twice about it.

He begins by explaining why a strong faith in God can help inspire people to want to help others in need, “In general in terms of faith, we’re called to help those in a less fortunate position than ourselves. It just makes sense. There was a moment in the bible where Judas got really mad at Jesus because Mary Magdalene came in and wiped perfume on his feet and Judas said ‘we should have sold that perfume and given the money to the poor,’ and Jesus said ‘you’ll only have me for a short time but you’ll always have the poor.’”

Even though Anderson has a bleak outlook on erasing poverty for good, he still believes it’s our responsibility to give it our best shot.

“To me personally, I don’t think that poverty is technically fixable but that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t try. It’s always going to be a problem and we always have to address it … ‘Poor’ doesn’t mean that you have less money or less things than someone else. There’s always going to be someone who has less.”

Anderson is an active member in his hometown church in Charlotte, North Carolina that he describes as a “low-key Baptist church.” This church runs a soup kitchen that Anderson said his mom and sisters have gone to. Local churches also organize free summer camps for urban youth struggling with poverty and negative family or social environments. The summer camps provide that community with a safe haven to learn, grow and foster good relationships. Anderson served as a counselor for a few summers at these camps and reported that the experience was eye-opening and rewarding. He has also participated in church volunteer work around the holidays, a popular time for religious people to spring into action to help the needy.

“The most volunteer work I’ve done was at Operation Christmas Child,” he admitted. “It’s in collaboration with Samaritan’s Purse and they pack shoeboxes up with gifts they give kids. The idea is that they give it to them on Christmas but they deliver all throughout the year.”

When asked why people tend to gravitate towards participating in church-based volunteer activities versus community-oriented ones, Anderson stated that it could be because it’s easier to trust the intentions of a church group.

“Those [religious] people setting it up could automatically seem trustworthy because their reason for doing it is for God … When people hear the church is doing something, they are more likely to back it up versus with a group of people you don’t know, you would probably want to do a little more research to discover their values and reasons for wanting to help others.”

However, sometimes the church can be corrupt and there have been instances when more fire-and-brimstone churches pressure members of their congregations to help others in order to save their immortal souls. Anderson believes that in these cases it’s not the volunteer work that’s the problem; it’s the people running it.

“There are some churches that believe you have to do good things in order to get into Heaven when Jesus really taught us you have to have the correct mindset and heart to help others so that you’ll want to do those things naturally … You help others because you have a good heart and mind, but if you help others just to look good and say you have a good heart and mind; that’s kind of a backwards way of going about volunteer work.”

Anderson is one of many SCAD students balancing school, a job and freelance work to prepare for the open void of job hunting after graduation. Despite the bags under his eyes and the weary edge to his voice, Anderson encourages college students to attempt balancing school with volunteer work.

“It’ll probably take a day to go volunteer somewhere and that takes time off from schoolwork and your busy life. So it will be a big commitment for you, but if you want to do this and are doing it for the right reasons, it will pay back mentally and emotionally.”

Emme Raus studies writing and creative writing at The Savannah College of Art and Design in Atlanta. To see more of her work, check out her online writing portfolio.

Weird Science: Medical & Psychology Volunteer Work

People forget that participating in science experiments as a lab rat technically is volunteer work. You are donating your mind, body and time to help professional researchers better understand brain chemistry, disease and other medical phenomenon. Sometimes you can get paid to be a guinea pig, or it can count towards class credit in college, but mostly it’s something brave-hearted and sometimes reckless people just step up to do. Let’s take a look at a few types of volunteer work benefiting science.

1. Donating Eggs, Sperm or Plasma

SPERM

Sperm donor. Image courtesy of www.complex.com.

This type of volunteer work should be considered an odd job – it’s weird, not something you would normally do, but comes with a decent cash reward. When it comes to donating baby-making equipment, people often assume sperm donors can just stroll into to a clinic without an appointment, beat off, and leave with $50 in hand after about 15-20 minutes. According to budgetsaresexy.com though, sperm donors need to have a clean medical history, pass a series of psychological and genetic tests, be able to provide extensive family medical history and be between the ages of 18-35 to even be considered. However, if accepted, sperm donors visit a donation clinic once a month and receive about $100 each time just for buffing their banana – that’s gas and grocery money right there.

EGGS

Egg donation. Image courtesy of www.sicknesshealth.com.

Speaking of cash, every broke college girl at one point or another, including yours truly, has considered either one of two desperate measures: stripping and donating eggs. Donating eggs seems like the classier option and egg donors receive up to $15,000 per egg. Considering most of us throw away perfectly good eggs once a month anyway, why not donate them and pay off this semester’s tuition, right? Wrong. If you think its difficult being accepted as a sperm donor, the egg donation application process is ten times more demanding. Even if you’re deemed healthy enough to donate an egg, donors still need to go through mounds of paperwork and months of medical consultations before the surgical procedure. According to eggdonor.com, women who have been selected go on a bunch of fertility drugs that give them similar side effects to being pregnant – abdominal pain, tender breasts, mood swings etc. There are also lots of blood tests and a weird ultrasound where a probe is stuck up your bajingo to make sure the eggs aren’t mutated. Personally, this sounds like way too much of a hassle, I’ll stick to waiting tables.

PLASMA

Blood plasma. Image courtesy of www.kidzworld.com.

There’s also such a thing as donating blood plasma – that fourth state of matter we all learned about in high school. Budgetsaresexy.com explains that “blood plasma is prepared by spinning a tube of fresh blood in a centrifuge until the blood cells fall to the bottom of the test tube.” Blood plasma is used for diagnosing disease or manufacturing therapies and donors can receive around $300 for each visit. To learn more visit www.donatingplasma.org.

2. Medical Experiments

Medical research studies graph. Image courtesy of www.ciscrp.com.

If you go to a college with a well-established medical program, med students and professors are usually looking for collegiates to participate in all kinds of medical experiments. There are very basic studies like sleep deprivation, time isolation, caffeine, alcohol and nicotine dependence and withdrawal as well as diet and exercise changes. There are also the more hardcore ones that require rigorous and time-consuming tests where scientists track you everyday such as if you volunteered to undergo a procedure that might treat an illness or medical condition. Compensation and participation vary with each college or medical center and requests for participants tend to be very specific. These places will usually ask for certain height, weight and health requirements and sometimes specific gender, race and medical background too. But if you’re genuinely interested in contributing to scientific discoveries, this type of volunteer work can be captivating and rewarding for college students.

3. Psychology Experiments

Psychology study volunteer. Image courtesy of www.lcb.unc.edu.

During my freshman year of college, my boyfriend and I each enrolled in an introductory psychology class. Needless to say it was fascinating and our professors required students to participate in at least five psychological studies during the semester as part of our grade. There was a database online that allowed you to explore the different scenarios and select the day and time you were free to participate in one. Mine all involved a lot of computer questionnaires and the occasional video that recorded my physical and emotional response. My boyfriend on the other hand participated in a psychological experiment that he will never forget.

He and a few other twenty-something year-old boys were assembled in a room and asked to pick a video for a girl in another room to watch. The options were scenes from a cooking show or a porno. My boyfriend chose the porn video because he thought it would be funny – I don’t know if he thought it was going to be like American Pie or whatever, he’s just an idiot sometimes. Anyways, the guys picked the porno and were able to watch the girl’s reaction on a video monitor in their room. These guys also had the ability to stop the porno at any time if they saw the girl getting too uncomfortable. According to my boyfriend, they watched the girl make some squeamish faces for a few minutes before he hit the pause button and put her out of her misery. But it turned out that the whole thing was a ruse. The other guys were actually psychology students and the video of the girl making faces was pre-recorded footage of a female psychology student – everything was set up except for my boyfriend’s decisions. I don’t remember what the experiment was supposed to be testing – maybe men’s chivalry or something – but he was blown away and I was too when he told me the story. So basically psychology students get to mess with unsuspecting people all day long and if you decide to volunteer, be prepared to be pranked!

I’m not sure which of these science experiments is the best volunteer work, but I definitely know that these jobs are not for everybody. In the meantime, I think I’ll just stick to trying to plant a damn tree in a park somewhere.

Emme Raus studies writing and creative writing at The Savannah College of Art and Design in Atlanta. To see more of her work, check out her online writing portfolio.

5 Reasons Why Volunteer Work Will Get You a Career Faster

As the weather warms up and graduation in spring looms closer, it’s time for college seniors to get a jump on job hunting. Of course a paying job that will help support your entire existence is a top priority. But for those struggling to land a steady paycheck, volunteer work can be the first step to achieving the blissful dream of the perfect career you’ll cherish forever. Even though you won’t make any money doing volunteer work, studies have shown that employers value job applicants with more volunteer experience on their resume than minimum wage work. For those who are still not convinced, check out the following ways volunteer work is guaranteed to help you on your way to earning a rewarding career.

Infographic courtesy of Emme Raus.

1. Fill in Your Work History Gaps

Let’s be real, unless you’re studying to become a medical professional, engineer or another “safe” profession, the odds of finding a job in your field a year after graduation are slim. Instead of picking up a part-time gig at Five Guys or worse, lounging around your parent’s basement, try looking into getting a volunteer work position that benefits a cause you care about. You won’t be bored, you’ll be doing something productive with your time and the next time you apply for a job, the employer will be impressed with your degree and advocacy experience.

2. Networking and Publicity

With that being said, volunteer work is underestimated gold on a resume. It shows you’re a team player, care about your community and practice necessary job skills in a professional environment. Volunteer work can also lead to internships for non-profits that can lead to networking with higher-up contacts and job openings. Not to mention if you get loud on social media about your volunteer work, people will notice you’re online presence and it will speak very highly of your character during online company background checks (which really happen).

3. Explore Different Job Fields

Still not sure what to do with your life after graduation? Become a volunteer renaissance man (or woman) by getting involved with causes you care about that involve skills you need for your dream job. You could volunteer at hospitals and nursing homes, schools and libraries, aquatic centers and sports camps, arts and humanities places – the possibilities are endless. The important thing to is get out and try and you’ll be greeted by a team of dedicated volunteers who will help you find your way.

4. Practice Job Skills

All of those skills you see people being endorsed for on LinkedIn can be learned through volunteer work: creative problem solving, computer skills, team management, working on a schedule etc. The more involved you get with a particular volunteer organization, the more specific your responsibilities will become and you’ll have firsthand experience in a community environment that will pay off in a later career.

5. Learn How to Handle Human Interaction

Every work environment runs into the same types of problems between co-workers: communication, teamwork and work ethic. You’ll soon discover that there are strong personalities and weak personalities to contend with when trying to get something done. Volunteer work provides an excellent playground for practicing dealing with these types of obnoxious human interactions. Similar to the joys of customer service, volunteer work will help you learn to anticipate people’s needs and solve the problem in the most efficient way.

Emme Raus studies writing and creative writing at The Savannah College of Art and Design in Atlanta. To see more of her work, check out her online writing portfolio.

Go Green Trivia Quiz

Captain Planet. Image courtesy of http://www.bigshinyrobot.com.

How long do you think the planet will last – more importantly, how much do you care? America is the leading country in waste and if we don’t change our ways soon; we’ll need five more planets to extract resources from to keep up with our lifestyle. Some easy things we can do in the meantime include:

1. Plant trees in your local park or neighborhood.
2. Visit your local nature conservatory and help out.
3. Recycle paper, glass, plastic and aluminum.
4. Practice Meatless Mondays where one day a week you cut out all meat from your diet. You can even go for broke and cut out dairy and meat for Vegan Mondays.
5. Conserve energy by riding your bike or walking, remember to turn off all electricity in your house before you leave and don’t smoke.

Test your knowledge of environmental destruction further by taking this quiz and find out how you can erase your ecological footprint one step at a time.

Emme Raus studies writing and creative writing at The Savannah College of Art and Design in Atlanta. To see more of her work, check out her online writing portfolio.

An Open Letter to Voluntourists

Dear voluntourists,

I know you are excited about travelling the world to explore different cultures and communities – but please make sure you know what you are getting into before you start booking hostels and Airbnb spaces. Too many voluntourists jump on the bandwagon for a shot at cheap tourism and not for the right reason: helping a family or community in need. If you are only interested in low-budget travel and hitting all the sightseeing hotspots, I suggest you go backpacking or see if you can crash on someone’s couch during your stay in a foreign country. But before you go gallivanting all across Europe or wherever, make sure your travel reasons align with the items on this checklist to see if voluntourism is right for you – because you really don’t want to be that d*ckweed who wastes the time and resources of host families or volunteer organizations.

1. Be Prepared Before you Leave

This means you need to have the following materials within grabbing distance or packed in a carry-on suitcase BEFORE you go anywhere (if you have to check a bag, go f*ck yourself and stay in a hotel).

• Up-to-date passport.
• Printed out plane tickets.
• Printed out flight itinerary.
• VISA if you’re planning on being out of the country for more than 90 days.
• Contact information for your host family or voluntourism organization’s base (address, phone numbers, names etc.)
• Driver’s license (duh).
• Crappy sneakers or rain boots.
• Appropriate work clothes (email your volunteer organization contact and ask what clothes to bring).
• About $200-$300 spare cash in case you get lost or die or something tragic happens.
• A satellite phone or knowledge of where to access WIFI in the foreign country.
• Spare toiletries in a clear Ziploc bag (the place you’re going might not have running water, electricity or other amenities).
• Tent (you might have to provide your own housing).

Be sure to check with your voluntourism organization’s website or contact person to see what other specific things you need and also what living conditions you should expect. Immigration can be brutal sometimes and airport staff might not let you in unless you can give them proof that you will be leaving the country in a set amount of time. Also, always be sure to tell family and friends where you are going and how long you will be gone before you just up and leave. Someone needs to know in case you never come back.

2. Actually be Committed to the Cause

Why do you even want to voluntour? Have you ever volunteered anywhere? Do you like to travel? Are you comfortable talking and working on a project with strangers? Do you get lost easily? Are you observant? What do you know about the cause? Is the cause something important to you? Do you have experience working to promote or protect this cause? Do you actually care about the people or place this cause benefits? Will you keep in touch with this volunteer organization after you finish? If you can’t answer these questions properly, then stay home and volunteer with some local organizations to see if you even like helping people before you buy a plane ticket.

3. Get to Know the Locals and Listen to What They Have to Say

You chose to voluntour not only to make a difference and then go home, but to actually immerse yourself in the way of life and culture of a community. Instead of leafing through guidebooks or worse, hiding out in your room wishing you had your Xbox, check out the mom-and-pop businesses and chat with the locals. Most small town people are happy to talk to travelers and are probably just as interested in you as you are in them. Plus you might hear some interesting stories and find out about some hole-in-the-wall pub or festival you would never have read about in a guidebook. Remember that you’re there to make a connection with people and maybe you’ll meet some friends you’ll want to keep in contact with back in the U.S.

4. Camouflage to a Reasonable Extent

Sometimes the exotic community you end up volunteering in will have locals that aren’t thrilled about you being there. You might be viewed as an outsider who could never possibly understand their 1000-year old traditions or their way of life. To break into the pack, try and hide your tourism ignorance to a reasonable extent. Don’t show up wearing expensive clothes or flaunting Apple technology – you might give off the wrong impression that you think you’re better than them. Also, don’t do a 180 and start appropriating their culture to try and fit in because you’ll be run out of town. The best way to approach a community that doesn’t care or understand why you’re there is to be honest, ask questions and show a genuine interest in their traditions and lifestyle. If you make an effort to not be ignorant, most people will meet you halfway.

5. Balance out Your Schedule

Nearly every voluntourism organization will specify how many hours a week they expect you to contribute to the cause. Be sure to balance out your schedule between volunteering and touring to make sure you’re not skimping out on the cause. After all, the reason why you voluntour is for the chance to help others in another country and you need to show that that’s your priority. Also, if you plan out your volunteer hours with other people, then you can go out and explore the community together – which is not only safer, but more fun than meandering around by yourself.

If you meet all of these checkpoints without complaining then you just might be ready to volountour.

Sincerely,

Someone who does things right the first time.

Emme Raus studies writing and creative writing at The Savannah College of Art and Design in Atlanta. To see more of her work, check out her online writing portfolio.

10 Weirdly Fun Volunteer Jobs You Wish You Could Do

Volunteer work is essentially an unpaid job, but what if you could do amazing things for others simply by throwing a party, getting drunk or even lodging cupcakes down your throat hole? That’s right; it’s time to rethink helping others because sometimes to best way to make a contribution is by letting loose, getting crazy and fulfilling your wildest dreams. Check out these top 10 unusual volunteer gigs that are all about being creative and having fun.

1. Get Wasted to Help Train Police

A few years ago, a Pennsylvania police department authorized a study where a range of men and women above 21 volunteered to get drunk to help officers detect potential DUI drivers. Volunteers blew into a breathalyzer to track their blood alcohol level every hour and after five hours of drinking, police administered the Standardized Field Sobriety Test (SFST) to determine if they were safe behind the wheel. Multiple volunteer groups participated and the police department reported that the study was extremely helpful. Sounds like an oddly productive Saturday night!

2. Take Pictures of Gravestones or Spruce Them Up

The Gravestone Photographic Resource encourages people to take photos of gravestones with a digital camera in cemeteries in the U.S., Europe and Australia. Why? Not just for a friendly Halloween dare but also to keep track of people six feet under and remember family history. Alternatively if you love all things dark and sinister, volunteer with a local historical preservation society to work as a group or on your own to clean up damaged headstones. Because someone needs to make sure our graveyards stay nice and creepy.

3. Care for Tigers or Feral Cats

Tiger Temple Thailand. Image courtesy of Insight to Asia Tours.

If you’re feeling adventurous, travel to Thailand and assist Buddhist monks in caring for their tigers in the Tiger Temple Thailand. During this 6-day-a-week job, volunteers prepare bottles and debone chicken for the cubs, clean cages and take tigers on lovely walks around the canyon – all while keeping tourists at bay. If you’re looking to play with kitties closer to home, help domesticate wild cats through Alley Cat Allies. Hold kittens, feed them and introduce them to new friends to prepare them for socializing with a family.

4. Be a Clown

You don’t need a degree from clown college to participate in this one; just a wacky sense of humor and a big heart. Join the Clown Brigade sponsored by the Make-A-Wish foundation and cheer up hospital patients, nursing homes seniors and maybe perform at the Special Olympics. If you’re not afraid to don the red nose and big shoes, clowning around can be a helpful hobby.

5. Eat Cupcakes Every Day

A few years back, Ph.D. students at a Swedish university conducted a study to see how fat affects the body by asking volunteers to eat four cupcakes every day for six weeks. An easier solution would’ve been for these Swedes to just visit any fast food place in America and observe the clientele quickly ruin their bodies with triple cheeseburgers and curly fries. But where’s the fun in that?

6. Be a Mascot Surgeon for Annual Furry Race

Mascot Gold Cup for Sue Ryder, Wetherby.

Did you know that dozens of furry mascots annually run a race for charity? Yeah, so did no one else. The UK healthcare charity Sue Ryder holds this bizarre fundraising event and always recruits a mascot surgeon to help bandage bruised or injured mascots during the race. So if you have a medical background and are looking for a good laugh, hop on a plane to the UK or please start a mascot race in Atlanta because I really want to see this.

7. Play Video Games

Games Done Quick puts on video game marathons where volunteers help fund research and raise money for charity in high-speed challenges. This six-year-old foundation has partnered with Doctors Without Borders and last year raised over a million dollars for the Prevent Cancer Foundation. Just sign up to volunteer at the next big event, show up, and sit on your ass playing video games with other do-gooders. There’s really no excuse not to do this.

8. Throw a Homeless Kid a Birthday Party

Volunteers of America has a program where volunteers can work events or donate supplies to throw homeless children the birthday party they never had. It doesn’t sound like much, but imagine creating a day where a homeless kid gets to know how much they are loved and celebrated by their family, friends and community – something middle-class children take for granted. The Brightening Birthdays program makes this possible along with countless other opportunities for volunteers to help end homelessness.

9. Build a Playground

KaBOOM! on Parks and Rec. Image courtesy of fishsticktheatre.com.

If you’re a Parks and Rec fan, you might remember Leslie Knope and the gang volunteering with the playground construction team KaBOOM! I thought this organization was made up for TV, but it turns out KaBOOM! is over 20 years old and recruits volunteers around cities to build playgrounds for children in only a few days. According to their website they’ve built around 16,300 playgrounds and counting and you can track to see when KaBOOM is visiting a location near you.

10. Stay in Bed for NASA

NASA put out a call a few years ago to recruit volunteers to stay in bed for three months in order to research what extended bedrest does to the human body. Participants only needed to be in good shape, not smoke and have a similar build to the average astronaut. Oh and sitting or standing up is off-limits. I already do this on the weekends; I say we start a petition to bring this study back!

Emme Raus studies writing and creative writing at The Savannah College of Art and Design in Atlanta. To see more of her work, check out her online writing portfolio.

The Closet Collective ATL Fights ISIS From Home and You Can Too

Founders of the Closet Collective ATL Jennifer Richards, Aynsley Younker, and Mary Caroline Russell at Foster ATL, a collaborative workspace off Ponce. Image courtesy of Aynsely Younker.

The Closet Collective ATL (@theclosetcollectiveATL) began because my friends and I heard of the thousands of men, women and children who were forced to flee the only home they have ever known as a result of terrorism and violence enacted by their own people. ISIS doesn’t only terrorize the world, but they shoot fear and horror into the hearts of their own, and many have been uprooted, often perilously, and at the risk of their lives.

We each experienced heartbreak at different points when hearing about the Syrian refugee crisis and wanted to help, but just didn’t know how to go about it. Mine came when I read a blog post from Ann Voskamp that highlighted her trip to Iraq where she met women and children as young as nine years old who were shipped in shipping containers to men leading ISIS for their own sexual endeavors. Go and read it. It may wreck your heart like it did mine.

A21 is building portable water stations to provide clean water to refugees as they cross the border. Each one costs $25,000. Image courtesy of Aynsley Younker.

There is also a CNN article that confirms a 3-year-old girl’s execution due to her father’s stance against ISIS (he later died in a battle against them). I have a 3-year-old daughter and will I choose to live in a world where this is happening and yet do nothing? We don’t have to have kids to know that this is stomach-churningly wrong. Humans are treating other humans in a way that should never be acceptable. And Jen, Mary Caroline and I wanted to do something, really, anything. 

@theclosetcollectiveATL has amazing gently used or NEW clothing that we sell and 100% of the proceeds benefit A21 and Syrian refugees in crisis. Image courtesy of Aynsley Younker.

We heard the founder of A21 (Christine Caine), an organization dedicated to ending human slavery and trafficking in our lifetime, speak at a women’s event at Passion City Church where she told of her recent travels to their flagship A21 office in Thessaloniki, Greece. She saw hundreds upon hundreds of people — the masses — making their trek to start over; more than that, she encountered the individual faces of real live people —holding babies, talking to women, and praying for families as tears streamed down their faces. Families traumatically ripped apart, escaping their country with nothing, not even the most basic necessities. Babies without formula. Children without water. This is what broke our hearts all over again.

@eathereatl modeling her own donated scarf. Image courtesy of Aynsley Younker.

So the Closet Collective ATL was born. We gathered our most stylish friends who donated their clothing, had our very own Mary Caroline Russell take fabulous photos of them wearing it, and started posting away, raising money by selling each piece on our Instagram account. Our friends shared their professionally beautiful photos on their social media and the account grew to over 1,400 followers in just a few months we have raised over $8,000.

@misstaliaparker modeling her own donated clothing. Image courtesy of Aynsley Younker.

We are ending our four-month run with a bang, hosting our first (and last) live-shopping event at Foster Atlanta this Tuesday, Feb. 23 from 7-10 p.m. with incredible clothing pieces to shop, amazingly cute toddler/baby clothes and lots of treats and fun. 100 percents of proceeds go to A21 and their efforts on the ground to help serve the Syrian refugees in Greece. We actually can do something. And you can too!

To buy a piece of clothing or make a clothing donation to aid A21 and Syrian refugees, follow The Closet Collective ATL (@theclosetcollectiveATL) on Instagram.

Aynsley Younker is one-third of the Closet Collective ATL team and part of the student team at Passion City Church in Atlanta. She loves communicating Jesus’s love through teaching/content/programs/events and more and is still figuring out how best to serve this generation.

5 Reasons Why People Hate Volunteer Work

First of all, I’m pretty sure no one actually hates the idea of volunteer work. Donating your time, energy or materials to someone in need can help you: soul-search, beef up a wimpy resume, travel inexpensively, meet new people, learn new skills, pay off student debt and so much more. Studies have even shown that participating in volunteer work helps lower blood pressure and contributes to a longer lifespan due to making active lifestyle choices.

So if volunteer work is so fun and rewarding, why did only 75 percent of Americans do it within the last two years? Well, just like in any office or professional environment, volunteer work is a job that can go horribly wrong due to poor management, rigid time commitment and no sense of accomplishment. In order to call back dedicated volunteers, they need to be treated just like an employee; with respect and incentive. Here are the top five things that piss off volunteers to the point where they aren’t coming back.

Why People Do/Don’t Volunteer. Infographic courtesy of www.ptotoday.com.

1. No one gets back to you.

You go on the volunteer organization’s website and fill out an online application. Two weeks go by with no response. You call the organization. They tell you to register as a through VolunteerMatch.com then fill out the online application. VolunteerMatch.com won’t let you create a profile. You call back the organization and the woman on the line says she doesn’t know what else to do. You ask if you can speak with her superior. She says doesn’t know where he is. You ask if you can just show up at the office and wait to speak with someone. She doesn’t know. You ask her if she knows anything. She hangs up the phone after snarling at you to just keep waiting for someone to get back to you. Two months roll by, if you’ve even bothered to keep track because God knows you aren’t pursuing that volunteer organization again.

2. Rigid time commitment.

According to Christopher L. Scott’s Biblical Leadership blog, 58 percent of volunteers quit their volunteer obligations because of time spent committed to school, work or other volunteer organizations. Much like an unpaid internship, volunteer work is free labor that needs be flexible with people’s work and personal schedules. In order to create a realistic call to action, volunteer organizations need to work one-on-one with every volunteer to determine a schedule and responsibilities that work best for them.

3. Bad management or leaders.

Tom McKee, president and owner of www.volunteerpower.com, confessed on his website that he once quit a volunteer organization because “a meeting that should have lasted about two hours lasted four or five hours and I would get home at midnight. Then I would complain to my wife for another hour after I got home – not great for building a healthy marriage.”

McKee also added that, “The person who led the committee was a wonderful person, passionate about our mission, and a hard worker; however, that manager just couldn’t lead meetings.”

The ability to run empowering and efficient meetings is always a good skill, but starting off smaller can also demonstrate good leadership people respect. Simple gestures like remembering people’s names, shaking hands, and making sure everyone feels welcome will help a volunteer community hit the ground running.

4. Bad professionalism.

With that being said, no one wants to be a part of a volunteer organization that can’t get it’s sh*t together, even if it is backed by heart-warming optimism. There’s a difference between wanting to inspire others to aid in a worthy cause and actually getting down to the planning, marketing, finances and other nitty-gritty details to make it possible. Non-profits and other volunteer committees that don’t have leaders with networking connections, budget-balancing experience, team building skills and steely determination are going to flop. Not to mention the dreaded “role ambiguity” volunteers face when they show up to an event and end up licking envelopes or alphabetizing someone’s files.

5. Not feeling like you’re making a difference.

You know that feeling you get when you point someone in the right direction, hold a door open for a stranger or take the time to have a real conversation with the woman who handed you your bag of fried chicken at Zaxbys? It’s a warm, happy little bubble in your chest that brings a fleeting smile to your face before resuming the daily grind. These are the moments volunteers live for. So when weeks or months of continuous efforts aren’t paying off, the volunteer organization is to blame. Maybe the plan is falling apart or the cause isn’t overtly exciting, but volunteers choose to help others partly because they know they are needed and want to feel good about it. So even though cheering up a senior or making crafts with a child is the ultimate goal, volunteers still need to be patted on the back and reminded that we’re valuable to the cause.

Emme Raus studies writing and creative writing at The Savannah College of Art and Design in Atlanta. To see more of her work, check out her online writing portfolio.

 

Relieve College Debt by Volunteering; Yes, it’s Real

SponsorChange.org promotion. Image courtesy of Pintrest and SponsorChange.org.

Attention collegiates; there has never been a better time to volunteer than now! Apart from the obvious benefits of volunteer work—making new friends, traveling, learning new skills—current college students, graduates and alumni can now absolve their student debt (or at least chip away at it) through volunteer work. Yes that’s right; giving back to your community can now erase college debt. In exchange for a fixed amount of time volunteering, non-profit organizations like SponsorChange.org, Zerobound, AmeriCorps and the Peace Corps are prepared to give college students:

• College debt relief
• Dental, vision and health insurance
• A living allowance
• Vacation Days
• Travel
• Cross-culture training and more

Paying off college loans through volunteer work might seem like a strange idea, but this path isn’t just for struggling graduates stuck in minimum wage jobs. This is a great opportunity to help others while soul-searching for yourself. Sometimes, we just aren’t ready to enter the workforce and instead of going to grad school or getting any job that fits the bill, do something meaningful with your time.

Still not convinced? You can research these organizations more thoroughly, or take this quiz to find out which path to student loan forgiveness is right for you based on your time in college and career path.

Emme Raus studies writing and creative writing at The Savannah College of Art and Design in Atlanta. To see more of her work, check out her online writing portfolio.

Creative Ways to Volunteer in Atlanta

It’s a well-known fact that partaking in a creative exercise helps decrease stress and encourages stronger thought management, communication skills, focus and meditation. That’s why if you’re an artist, you have a unique set of skills and training to inspire change and make a difference in the lives of senior citizens, children, hospital patients or those with a learning or mental disability. The best way to apply art to volunteering is through a variety of creative activities like art, music, animal interaction and even horticulture because they are all hands-on practices that allow people to express themselves in a personal way. So if you’re an artist or creative-minded person living in Atlanta, get involved with these volunteer organizations as a way to give back to your community by doing what you do best.

Infographic courtesy of Emme Raus.

Art

If you’re a visual learner who loves arts and crafts and pinning design ideas up on Pinterest, then try looking into spreading the joys of art to people in need.

If you’re a team player … help out along Atlanta’s infamous Beltline by helping manage social media, handing out brochures or work directly with an artist to rehabilitate a location.

If you’re an artist who likes working with kids … look into Kashi KidArts, an extension of Kashi Atlanta Urban Yoga Ashram. This ashram partners artistic volunteers with child hospital patients to lift their spirits through crafting paper bag puppets, mobiles and multi-media paintings.

If you’re into art therapy … there are several ways to help out at The ArtReach Foundation in Atlanta. Use dance, art, music, drama and writing to help traumatized children boost their self-esteem and imagination through sensitivity training, a supportive community and creative expression.

Music

If you’re a great listener and can play an instrument, use your musical talent to bring peace of mind and joy to those who are lonely and bored.

If you like lighting up a kid’s face … visit the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta as a music therapy volunteer. Encourage sick kids to play an instrument, compose a song or even just sing or hum along to a tune to manage pain, increase social skills and decrease stress or anxiety.

If you prefer spending time with seniors … then your talents can be utilized in the A.G. Rhodes Health and Rehabilitation Center Songs for Seniors program. Connect with a senior citizen through music and observe how the power of song can help someone fight back against dementia and other cognitive and physical ailments.

Animals

If you enjoy being around animals and believe our fluffy four-legged friends can turn someone’s day around, then pet therapy might be for you.

If you have a special connection with your dog … Happy Tails Pet Therapy is a wonderful organization to get involved with. Volunteer as a handler/pet team and visit healthcare facilities, libraries, schools and special needs programs to make people laugh and remind them of what’s really important.

If you’re obsessed with horses … then your horse knowledge and enthusiasm are perfect for helping out at Chastain Horse Park. As a volunteer, you’ll work closely with trainers, therapists and staff members in assisting with rider’s lessons and training. The bonds you make with the riders, your co-workers and, of course, the horses will last a life-time.

Horticulture/Gardening

If you’re not afraid to get down and dirty in order to grow something extraordinary, then share your love of gardening with a group of people who could really benefit from a cultivating hobby.

If you enjoy working with seniors … the A.G. Rhodes Healthcare and Rehabilitation center also has a gardening program called Seeds for Seniors that is always in need of volunteers. By working with senior citizens to foster and care for a plant, you’ll help increase their fine motor skills, sensory stimulation and keep them from being isolated.

If you want to reach out to someone suffering with a mental illness … Skyland Trails offers a stellar horticulture therapy program. Volunteers would assist therapists in helping patients build Zen gardens, fairy houses and balancing stones to increase mindfulness and fine motor skills. Skyland Trails also offers therapy programs in art, music, recreation & leisure and social enrichment for patients.

Emme Raus studies writing and creative writing at The Savannah College of Art and Design in Atlanta. To see more of her work, check out her online writing portfolio.