Escapist Community & Nonprofit Giving

[Chindar]

I recently found myself pondering the upcoming glory of human industry, ingenuity and the mind-boggling outpouring of goodwill that is Loading Ready Run?s Desert Bus for Hope fundraiser for Child?s Play.

My fellow Escapists: What kinds of community and nonprofit non-monetary giving do you do? How has this changed your outlook on life or on a particular issue?

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I personally work at and run a small nonprofit organization that helps people and communities spay and neuter dogs and cats (including ferals, barn & stray colonies) with a voucher and mobile clinic program. After personally being involved in over 2,500 surgeries over the past few years, it still amazes me that there are people who do not believe that there is an overpopulation crisis in the United States. More shocking is the severe lack of veterinary care and vaccination protection in the cat population (even with owned animals!).

For over 15 years I have volunteered tech, backstage and set construction work in community theater groups. This gives you such great friends, life experiences and sets of skills to learn and hone. It is also is a great way to give back to your community with a unique piece of art and entertainment.

If you have not considered giving your time or skills to a nonprofit in your area or for a cause you truly care about, please consider it when an opportunity arises! Trust me: while money is always in dire need for nonprofit organizations, we could not exist without volunteers and people committed to the cause.

 

[Nantucket_v1legacy]

I donate to the RSPCA but that is the extent of my charity sadly.

I do participate in a political party and I am quite an active member so I do participate in local ward meeting, fund raising around the local area and organizing petitions. I also helped organise the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Street Party.

 

[JoJo]

Nice first post Chindar, welcome to the Escapist! I see you've been signed up for quite a time, but just in-case you didn't know, please avoid the basement at all costs and do not press the red button! Stick to those and rules and you should do just fine around here ;-)

As for the OP, I put in time weekly at a local school's art club, it's fun and it helped land me a job so yeah, volunteering your time recommended for everyone!

 

[Chindar]

Thanks for replying and sharing everyone. I am pleased to see that this is a supportive forum community, as well as supportive to their respective home communities. It has been a long time since I got involved in forums, in part because of school, work and volunteering.

I will volunteering my Desert Bus/Thanksgiving vacation again this year as I collect, collate and analyze this year's program data for the nonprofit I work at. Hopefully I don't end up working as many hours as those folks do, but on the other hand, I am one of the deranged group of people who enjoys math and statistics!

 

[Guffe]

Every ones in a while I donate money to good cause via the red cross for example.
I also donate blood always when possible.

 

[IndomitableSam]

I donate to a few charities, a lot of Christmas gift-giving between family members is charity donations in their names (this goes between a lot of us - living on opposite sides fo the world, we usually team up and buy goats or such, too).

I haven't volunteered in quite a while, actually. I do tutor a boy once a week, help him with his english and prepare him for university and such, but I do get paid for it.

Donated blood before, too. I'm due to do it again, but every now and again someone at work (not in my ofice) sets up a LifeBus run so we go over lunch hourish and do it, but we're still paid normally if we take longer, too. I should probably email the guy (it's quite a ways away) and see if he's doing another one soon.

So... I don't do much, actually. Unless you count me going over to my parent's to help them with chores and shopping and such. (My mother is disabled and my dad doesn't realise he's getting old.)

 

[Aetera]

I go a few times a week to a non-profit peer-to-peer wellness and recovery center for people suffering from mental illnesses, and I donate food and other needed things to it when I can. Our budget has been slashed to next to nothing, and I'm one of the better off members, so I do what I can when I can.

I'm just a member, not staff, but I still try and help. It's peer-to-peer support after all.

 

[thenumberthirteen]

I used to volunteer at my local Oxfam shop, but when work got busier I had to give it up. I donate to the Red Cross and Shelter monthly not a lot, but I don't make much. I also donate money to Brian Dunning at Skeptoid media to help him produce his show and give talks promoting science and skeptical thinking.