I hope you are enjoying this series so far. Today, for letter V, I want to talk about that area, which remains undercover most of the times. As far as my experiences are concerned, it has played a crucial role in my initial days or years in the USA. It helped me a lot to adjust here. I got a new friend circle which I could say mine. I am talking about volunteering. During my initial days here, I volunteered at many places. This concept was entirely new to me then, but as I came to know the endless opportunities for volunteering, I started to understand it better.

 

 

Volunteering doesn’t take any special skills or extensive experience – and there’s never a shortage of organizations looking for help. Americans love to volunteer. They respect volunteering a lot as it is unpaid, and someone is willing to spare time to help others without expecting any money. You will see youth actively working as a volunteer in their extra hours. It helped me a lot. It expanded my social circle, taught me new skills, and, yes..set an excellent example in front of my kids.

 

My first volunteering opportunity was at a Foster Care Unit. I was looking at their Management work. I learned about this opportunity when I provided dinner to one of their shelters. I got in touch with the director and explored the volunteering opportunities they had.

 

When my daughter started her pre-school, I began to work as a substitute at her school. It was an enjoyable experience working with kids, and at the same time, I was able to understand the working of pre-schools here. It started as a volunteering sessions but later they asked me if I can join as a teacher. I happily agreed. When the payment part came, my Visa issues also came into picture. But luckily we figured out an alternative way of payment.

 

I used to hear a lot from moms being very active in PTO (parents teacher’s organization). A few experienced moms suggested me to get involved in the PTO. And it was a wise suggestion. I joined PTO and was in the committee throughout her Elementary school and now Middle school.

The best part of volunteering at schools is you get to understand the internal of school. As a volunteer, you have access to the inside of the school. And yes, the happiness you see on your kid’s face is priceless. I still remember my daughter’s all light up face when she was proudly telling her friend on her annual day that “you know, my mom did all this decoration.” I have also conducted a few regular classes, and when kids liked it and asked me, “Mrs. Deo, when are you going to come back?”, it felt so great.

 

Career Day is another occasion for which you can volunteer to share your talent or career information. Mostly, every school organizes a career day once a year. When I first saw an email invitation, I felt can I share blogging with kids. In a hope, I filled the form. I was happy to see the response, and later getting a thank you letter of appreciation from the counselor was very satisfying.

A few other places to volunteer can be Retirement Homes, Church Schools Front Desk, Libraries, Non-profit groups.

 

A message from an immigrant mom to another immigrant mom:

Most of us have come here on a dependent visa. A few of us got lucky in getting their Green Cards. A few joined the workforce, and a few decided to take a break. Others are not able to fulfill their dreams due to visa or other restrictions. But the desire to grow never stops. Don’t stop yourself then. Luckily, you are in a country where volunteers and volunteering is seen with big respect. Approach to the people, organizations that match your talent, area of interest, and dive in.  I got great satisfaction helping a good cause free of charge, and educated myself at the same time. And I will keep doing it. Now, it’s your turn.

 

This post is a part of #BlogchatterA2Z. My theme is “Dollar Nation: Are You Ready to Experience The West Through My Eyes?”

 

You can read the previous posts by clicking on each alphabets.

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