Three and a half years ago, when I was feeling low, a friend of mine signed me up for a volunteer committee at work. I was reluctant at first, but recognizing that my mood could only be described as despondent, and I needed to do something to get out of my own little cloud, I decided to play along.
All the self-help books I had ever read espoused the benefits of volunteer work – helping others to help yourself and all that. Besides, my friend’s last name was Church, so I took it as a sign from God.
My first big volunteer effort was AIDS Walk New York. It is an annual walk in Central Park, sponsored by the Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC) to raise money to help men, women, and children whose lives have been affected by HIV/AIDS. Our team of co-workers and family members raised a fair amount of funds considering it was our first year.
I have been participating in the walk ever since, and doing what I can to support GMHC at every opportunity. One such opportunity that presented itself on November 1st was “Fashion Forward” – a spectacular celebration of fashion and style in New York City.
This cocktail reception, silent auction, and runway fashion show was hosted by Tim Gunn of Project Runway and Tim Gunn’s Guide to Style, both on Bravo. All proceeds from Fashion Forward benefit GMHC’s HIV/AIDS prevention, care, and support services, and its national advocacy in the fight against AIDS.
Those of you who do not personally know me might wonder how it is that in the past two months I’ve rated attending two fashion events (see Fashion Foibles with Stacy London.) The answer is, I don’t know. Glamorous is certainly not a word I would use to describe my lifestyle or myself.
My suburban routine consists of a long commute, eight hours at the job, and then another long drive home, dinner, kids, homework, housework, maybe a T.V. show if I’m lucky, and just enough sleep to power the same routine the next day. My usual wardrobe comes from the mall. Yet, there I was among the beautiful people.
Article comments
1 - rtlemurs
Sounds like you had a great evening for a great cause and I hope this encourages others to look into volunteer work.
All of my experiences (Local food banks, several local mission/soup kitchens, the ARC, and the SIDS Foundation)have been amazing. So many wonderful people on both sides of the events (both giving and recieving), you just can't help but want to comeback and meet up with them all again anytime possible.
I too am not on the high end of the pay scale and have found this to be a wonderful way to lend a hand and give without wondering how I'm going to pay my bills for the next month.
Thank you for letting folks know that volunteer work isn't all drudgery and gloom. Packing food at the food bank or hobnobbing with bigshots is all fun, even if it may not sound like it at first.
And there are so many levels of participation that anyone can find a niche. I'm no good at asking for donations but I love the labor. You may be that person that is good at getting people to give but cannot do all the labor. Every talent is needed so don't ever feel you have nothing to contribute. You do and there is a volunteer program near you that would love to have you!
2 - cindyc
Thank you for your comments rtlemurs. It takes a while to find your niche in the volunteer world, but if a person is willing to try, I agree that it can be fun. I'm actually enrolled in a grant-writing class, so hopefully I'll be able to do more for those organizations that I want to help.