Volunteering can make a difference in your life and the lives of those you are serving. Shelbey, is one of our amazing piano instructors, here is her experience:
"One day, I realized
that I hardly ever did anything for anyone else. Sure, I try to help my
husband and family, but that is so basic and so easy. As for helping my
community...I felt like a waste of space and air.
To combat the
self-loathing, I started looking for volunteer opportunities and the
expected things popped up--working with the elderly and special needs
children--the two types of people I'm really awkward around, because I have no
experience with either one. But I knew they needed willing people, so I took a
deep breath and starting sending emails.
Suddenly, I had
anxiety. I was not looking forward to these opportunities. I begged my husband
to do it with me just so I wouldn't be alone every week. I knew this
would turn out to be one of those things I dread... And I was certain I'd
end up dropping out.
I decided that if I
wanted to give service with longevity, I needed to do something that I felt
comfortable with. There are plenty of angels on earth to help with the
elderly and special needs, but I felt as if my life had prepared me
for a different kind of service.
Enter United Way.
Through BYU's service website, I found that United Way was looking for music
teachers for children who might not be able to have music lessons otherwise.
Children + teaching +
music. Now THAT was what I was looking for! I signed up and started
teaching this past September.
It has been more
rewarding than I could ever imagine. I spend an hour and a half once a week
teaching three adorable children piano or singing. In addition to growing my
own music skills by teaching others, I've made friends with the children and
their parents--something I certainly didn't expect. We laugh, we learn, and we
make music.
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| Shelbey's students attended a play she was in. |
What I've learned
is that it's okay if service doesn't feel like service; it can be outright
fun! Think about what you're passionate about and find out how you can teach
that passion to others; that's the recipe for one type of meaningful
service. It might be with United Way or it might not, but get out there
and do it!"
We would like to encourage you to find a cause or something that interests you and get involved in your community!
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