Volunteering - April 2000
Volunteering - A Life Choice-
by Fiona Gierzynski (LocalPage, Dupage Chapter
Newsletter, October 1996)
When I was asked to contribute another front-page essay for our Local Page, my
first reaction was "NO", since it seems to smack of nepotism (who you know) as
well as self-aggrandizement (no, I don't think I'm better than you!) But then, I thought,
who, after all the years I've been an active Member of Mothers & More (7
years this October), is more qualified to extol the benefits of actively volunteering, not
just being a passive Member?
President John F. Kennedy once said, "Ask not what your Country can do for you,
but ask what you can do for your Country." Many people say they are dropping out of Mothers
& More because "they got nothing out of it", and I say, "What
did you put into it? Besides your membership fee?" Believe me, joining groups is not
something I ever did before. No after school clubs for me in high school, I had
after-school jobs to earn college money. Nor sorority or clubs at college, I had
after-class jobs; and volunteering? working without pay? Please! My working-class Parents
are shocked! Only rich people can afford to volunteer! The rest of "us" expect
to be paid! But I put it to you that volunteering, at least in my experience, pays in a
multitude of ways. How? Well let's see...
First, Friendships - actually this is so important to me, it should be
listed as reasons 1 thru 50! I was lonely, at home all day with an infant, then a toddler.
I would call everyone I know to chat, to fill my day, and still have 2-3 hours to sit and
watch the door, waiting for the mailman to arrive. Anything to break up the monotone of
carrying on a one-sided conversation with a pre-verbal child! Mothers & More
gave me a close friend the first meeting I attended. Then we got a playgroup together,
only three Moms at first but it grew to seven Moms, then ebbed and grew as Moms exited
when their Kids got into pre-school or school, and new Moms joined us. But what really
gave me a lot of new acquaintances, who could be close friends if I only had the time for
them all, was volunteering. The Clothing Sale, on Committees, the Board, etc. I probably
know by sight, if not by name, at least 50% of the over 200 members the DuPage Chapter has
at any given moment. This, to me, is really a rich payment for all of the time and effort
I have put into Mothers & More! I am a people-person. I
"collect" peoples' life anecdotes voraciously; nothing pleases me as much as a
good true-life story. With such a diverse group of Women, employed, semi-employed,
self-employed, at-home, etc. there are a lot of life experiences to share. I want to hear
them all!
Second, Laughter - if laughter is the best medicine, then I have
plenty to keep me healthy! I have always believed that, with all life brings you, either
you laugh or you cry, and laughing leaves nicer lines around your eyes and face :o) No one
can help you laugh at the disasters of life with Babies and small Children like another
Mom. We all try to top each others stories of sickness, hard times, etc. What reduced you
to tears of despair at the time, can often become a hilarious story when shared with a
group of understanding Moms!
Third, a Sense of Accomplishment - Let's face it, raising Children is
a thankless, never-ending job of planned obsolescence - no one ever tells you what a good
job you are doing, even if it's been weeks since you stuck a diaper pin into the Baby; and
just when you have "figured out" one of their stages of development, they grow
into a new one, and like a too-small pair of pants, your old feeling of confidence is
tossed out, and you are an amateur again! Worst of all, the better you do your job of
raising them to be independent people, the less they need you at all. But volunteers'
talents are always needed, and appreciated. Projects like planning programs for a year,
planning and executing Mom & Tot Outings, coordinating playgroups and babysitters,
putting out the newsletter, our showpiece, the "Cadillac of Clothing Resale's"
as I call it, not to mention leading our enormous group in bi-monthly meetings, are all a
tribute to the long hours and tireless effort put forth by a bunch of Moms with no time on
their hands. Moms who none-the-less get the job done when the Kids are napping, or eating,
or drawing with markers all over their rooms and siblings.
Fourth, to put Something on Your Resume for the Future - Last in
importance, but still a consideration. When a future employer asks what I did with myself
over the last 10-15 years, rather than smack his/her face with the pictures of my four
adorable Children, I will discuss the various positions held with the concomitant
experiences of public relations, working well in groups, planning and executing programs,
etc. And you better believe I will use "action words" to describe all that I
have done. And I will list as references Women whose lives I shared, as we worked together
to keep our brains active and our self-confidence strong.
I could go on and on (and on, as most of you know!) but why? The committees are here,
the programs are in place and we always need you to help make Mothers & More
a little bit better with your efforts! Don't just sit there, pick up the phone and
volunteer for something. You'll feel better about yourself and your life-choices, and
that's good for you, and your family! Hope I'll be seeing you soon! |
Professional Skills, Volunteering, and
the Internet - by Janice Wells, Contributing Editor, (FORUM
12/96 Volume 9, No. 10)
As new Mothers, we abruptly learn a whole new set of skills, like learning to function
with little or no sleep. We also learn that effective Parenting skills mirror the talents
needed to succeed in the workforce. We develop skills like:
- productive time management (making peanut butter and jelly [pb&j's} sandwiches while
talking with the pediatrician on the phone),
- mediation and politics (helping kids work out sibling and friend feuds),
- short-term and long-term career goals (finding the appropriate preschool and starting
the college savings fund) and
- keeping pace with advances in your chosen profession (learning kid software so you can
help your Child become computer savvy).
Yes, Mothering skills are remarkably like workforce skills, yet they are not viewed that
way by employers.
One way to keep professional skills alive and resume friendly is to become a
Mothers & More volunteer. "The professional side of me is just as
important to nurture as the Mothering side of me... and Mothers & More
is my avenue to do that," says Connie Miller, Founder, past Leader and active Member
of the Greater Lewisville Chapter in Flower Mound, Texas. By volunteering within Mothers
& More, Connie has gained new skills. "I've found I now have skills that
I never would have dreamed of if I had not been involved with Mothers & More,"
says Connie.
After joining four years ago, Connie regularly applied her organization, management and
people skills when she founded and lead the Tucson, AZ, N.W. Tucson, and Flower Mound
Chapters. While in her current Chapter, Connie has also served as a volunteer for Mothers
& More's National Board of Directors and served as a Regional Chapter
Coordinator.
Her latest volunteer venture has been to develop Mothers & More's
relationship with the cutting edge of computer technology - the Internet. Stepping into
the future, Connie undertook the formidable challenges of the Online Project, an endeavor
that has given Mothers & More a growing online presence. Currently
serving as Online Project Chair, Connie leads a dedicated committee of eight volunteers
who work with the National Board to help create and fulfill an on-line vision.
Mothers & More now possesses a homepage, complete with a chat
room, links providing a detailed list of Parenting resources and an ever-expanding web
site. Connie hosts a regular chat where Mothers talk on-line via the Internet. A
"chat room" is like an electronic Chapter meeting, and Connie's role as host is
similar to that of a Chapter Leader. "If you're in a really great chat room, you've
got Moms who are fully content at home, talking to Moms who are struggling with it. And
then support comes from each other. As a host, just like at a meeting, I don't necessarily
interject my own feelings, but I keep the conversation on track." she commented. The
chat room always tries to present thought-provoking topics: for example, dealing with
financial invisibility and talking with at-home Dads.
Internet technology provides another avenue to connect Mothers with Mothers, and
Mothers with Mothers & More. The Internet also provides a flexible
alternative for those Women who can't attend Chapter Meetings or don't belong to Chapters.
To illustrate the burgeoning interest in Mothers & More's web
site, the new web site had only seven visitors in July 1996. By September, the site
had a whopping 532 visitors and continues to grow. (Note to the Reader: In the month of
January 2000, we reached 100,000 hits at our home page of the website. The majority of
those hits were from 1999 and the other half were from 1996 - 1998. )
When asked, "What are the rewards of being a volunteer?" Connie said,
"knowing that a few Members decided to stay home longer, have another child, or that
a company went out of their way to grant work options that cater to a Mom's
schedule."
Volunteering has made it possible for Connie to expand and acquire a marketable,
cutting-edge set of skills. She supports existing Members and newfound friends across the
nation, helps a worthy organization grow, and provides a good role model for her Children,
while nurturing her professional self. |
