Why Volunteer?

The decision to take this 2008/2009 school year off to travel was a little difficult. A big part of me wanted to stay to finish classes and graduate with the people I started classes with. But a bigger part knew that if I wanted to go, now was the time go.

Volunteering has been a pretty big part of my life since I was about nine-years-old. My first volunteer experience was with the S.P.C.A. where I walked dogs and helped clean up after the animals.

Later when I was about eleven or twelve I started working with a program run by my town called Future Leaders Incentive Program. It was know as F.L.I.P. I think I still have an old team shirt kicking around.

With F.L.I.P. we organized events for young adults, ran a supervised playground program for younger children and helped out with other town run events. I truly feel that my time with F.L.I.P. has influenced the way I live my adult life and the career path that I am working towards.

My most recent volunteer experience has probably been the most challenging as well as the most rewarding. After taking a Doula course to better assist my sister in the birth of my niece I decided to continue to continue to use my new found knowledge and skills working with the Terra Association. With Terra I assisted young mothers through their pregnancy and birth experience. However, the nature of this work requires me to be on call for large periods of time, as babies arrive on their own time with little notice. So when I started college full time I had to put my time with Terra on hold. I hope to work with them again in the future.

Volunteering abroad has been something I have hoped to do since I was around five-years-old. My grandparents left for a three-year volunteer trip to Lusoto Africa. I remember being so proud that they were going to help people so far away and wishing that I could be there to help my Grandpa build the water pumps he designed.

My brother was also heavily influenced by our grandparents. While living in Vancouver he worked with Amnesty International and one of its sister organizations. We hope to do a volunteer trip together soon.