Transitions

 

There was never much time for volunteering in my life until the last few years. My younger sister was quite involved in lots of different voluntary activities from a very young age, and roped me in from time to time, but mostly I was just too busy with my own life to get involved.

 

Our working lives took us in different directions, me into the corporate world of insurance and finance, while my sister stayed with community work where she welcomed each new challenge, and I was fascinated to hear about her work.

 

She suggested more than once that I get involved in some voluntary activity, and I always thought yes, I’d really love that, but not till later, when my career is more established..when my new business gets off the ground.. when I am a bit older and have a bit more time on my hands…

 

They say major life changes come in threes. Reaching age 50 coincided with my decision to sell up my business and look for different challenges. And that coincided with the sudden loss of my sister. Everything changed. And I realised that if I wanted to achieve some old dreams, I should waste no time in doing so…

 

Checking out the Dublin City South Volunteer Centre website I noticed a role which really interested me, I applied and was delighted when they took me on as a placement volunteer..

 

When someone who has an interest in volunteering registers on our website, I am one of the people who follows up with the person,by phone, to have a chat about what their interests are, and what area of volunteering they have an interest in. I then make suggestions to them as to which organisations and which roles they might like to pursue, and put them in contact with the organisations concerned.

 

My role is extraordinarily varied – I have had the opportunity to meet with numerous charitable organisations and learn about their work, and I have met such interesting people– I am constantly inspired by the commitment and dedication of those who give so much of themselves to help others.

 

My work as a volunteer is a world away from the corporate environment. It takes time to adjust to a world where the goals and achievements can be slow in coming and change can be difficult to effect. The measurement of success is different, less easy to quantify sometimes. 

 

But the satisfaction of working in my new environment is beyond anything I have ever experienced in my corporate life. And what’s really great about it is that I can fit my volunteering in around other events in my life – it just integrates with all my other activities, and has become part of my life. 

 

I don’t do a great deal really, but that’s the wonderful thing about volunteering – no matter how little each of us does, the cumulative effect is powerful, and even the smallest input can make a huge difference.

 

This article also appeared in The Liberty newspaper in May. www.theliberty.ie