Have you ever done any volunteer work?

I volunteered for the national elections. I'm one of the organizing committee. It's hard, really a labor of love. No fee for the tasks you have done. Sometimes people will feel bad for you. Even though there is no fee for this kind of work, my reward were friendships I have build and the knowledges I have gained ;)

I haven't in quite sometime, but have been thinking it is about time to get myself into some volunteer work, as it makes me feel so fulfilled, helping people with out the expectation of any sort of reimbursment. When i was still living at home with my parents, my mother was a nurse in a nursing home in town. It started as a project to earn a badge for girl scouts, but i continued on for many years. I would go with her to work and would spend time with the residents. I would go from roomto room, visit, help them with tasks they coudln't perform any more. Many times i would sit with them and read them the letters their family members had written, as their eyesight was too bad to read them themselves. Or i would Water their plants, walk with them in the garden and just be a smiling face, a friendly ear, a caring person towards them. Many ofthem did not have family that lived near by, so they didn't get visitors very often. I got to hear all kinds of amazing stories and tales form the past. And it was just so very nice to know that i was making a difference in someone's day.

Yes, I have done volunteer work and I continue to do volunteer work at a local hospital. I volunteer on the obstetrics wing of the hospital, helping new mothers with their recovery from giving birth, and sometimes, if I am lucky, I get to volunteer in the newborns' nursery where I actually get to sit in a rocking chair and rock some of the babies. I volunteer because I believe that I should share my free time doing something positive, and helping people is what I enjoy doing. There is no monetary gain, but you get a sense of pride and fulfillment that I have contributed to someone's life. If you are looking for payment for helping others, in my opinion, you block your blessings. Giving my time is a blessing to someone else and in turn I receive blessings that I never knew I could have. Helping others without expecting payment is a very unselfish act.