Do you or did you foster a cause?

Mr. Ed

Mr. Ed

Be what you is not what you what you ain’t
Location
Central NY
I volunteered as a spiritual care provider at the local hospital, then county jail ministry. When I attended Bible College I conducted my internship at a large correctional institute.

That was before and after Bible college, when I got my BSA in Human Service I set aside any notion of returning to ministry work. However, now that my job is ending Mid-February I feel a need to revisit an earlier objective in ministry.

On the other-hand, another possibility is continue as a peer support specialist for seniors living in retirement homes and facilities.

Before reaching retirement age I wasn't interested in working/assisting older populations, perhaps because I had nothing to offer senior citizens. Now, however, I relate to older populations as my own.

My last day at present job is 02/17/2021, I'll receive pay until end of February. At that time I will apply for unemployment and decide what I want do from there. Anything can happen says the best laid plans of mice and men.
 

I used to volunteer at a local 'soup kitchen' every Tues morning,for about 7 yrs on/off
It was located in the basement of a local church.It closed in 2015 when the church decided to make part of the building into apartments
I support our local SPCA as much as I can,the organization gets no funding from the National Organization or from NYS.All the money comes from local donors and companies
 
During the Vietnam War I was an anti-draft counselor in Harlem NY and actually helped a few young men who thanked me heartily for my efforts. They and their families praised my dedication on their behalf. I became a well known sight in the neighborhood and was greeted with warmth & love wherever I went. The guys from the local basketball court protected me while I worked to protect them. Amazing experience.
 

Wow! You people are all heroes in my books. That’s most impressive.
The only thing I’ve done has been long distance walking and swimming to raise money for the needy. The walks were 30 plus miles in one day and the swims were 15 kilometres in a 5 day period but I raised quite a bit of money.
 
bowmore said:
Being "501(c)(3)" means that a particular nonprofit organization has been approved by the Internal Revenue Service as a tax-exempt, charitable organization.
to Avoid o You Need anFile a DBA Online
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Correct!
Or more specifically:
Section 501(c)(3) is the portion of the US Internal Revenue Code that allows for federal tax exemption of nonprofit organizations, specifically those that are considered public charities, private foundations or private operating foundations.
 
Keesha said:
Thank you. So what exactly is the volunteer work you do ? I apologize. Plus excuse my slowness . 😬I’m on meds. Post # 5.
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Almost anything that needs to be done really.
I help in organizing fund raisers, make phone calls, cook for elderly, drive people, record radio spots, organize, financial consulting, plan meetings, attend meetings (on-line now), on and on.
One big event (pre-covid) I sponsored every year was a St. Josephs' table dinner.
Lot's of volunteers! We provide a sit down dinner on a Friday night nearest to the Feast of St. Joseph during Lent for about 300 people in need for free. That is a lot of people and a lot of work right there!
 
J.B Books said:
Almost anything that needs to be done really.
I help in organizing fund raisers, make phone calls, cook for elderly, drive people, record radio spots, organize, financial consulting, plan meetings, attend meetings (on-line now), on and on.
One big event (pre-covid) I sponsored every year was a St. Josephs' table dinner.
Lot's of volunteers! We provide a sit down dinner on a Friday night nearest to the Feast of St. Joseph during Lent for about 300 people in need for free. That is a lot of people and a lot of work right there!
Click to expand...
WOW! People like yourself amaze me. If I was comfortable around people, I’d love to do some things like this. Drive elderly people who need it.
It’s really an honourable thing. May your life be richly blessed tenfold for doing so. ❤️
 
I guess I foster a cause on my own. Helping people. I clean for a 96 year old once a week. And try to help a 75 yr old mentally ill lady. Mostly it’s just been being the only friend she has. She calls me and rambles on for 2 to 3 hours about the past. But it makes her feel good to have someone to vent with and i am good with that. Slowly but surely I am trying to break through that barrier and convince her life doesn’t have to be this way...and it’s working to an extent. So...baby steps.
 
Keesha said:
Thank you. So what exactly is the volunteer work you do ? I apologize. Plus excuse my slowness . 😬I’m on meds. Post # 5.
Click to expand...
As a TaxAide, working with AARP and the IRS, I prepared tax returns for low income and senior citizens at no charge
At the homeless shelter, I helped with food preparation, and later prepared reports so they could get funds
With Angel Flight, I flew patients to distant medical facilities for specialised treatment
At the hospice, i repaired walkers, wheelchairs and other medical equipment
With the railroad society, I volunteered as a car attendant on a local tourist railroad in return for donations to the society.
 
Keesha said:
Wow! You people are all heroes in my books. That’s most impressive.
The only thing I’ve done has been long distance walking and swimming to raise money for the needy. The walks were 30 plus miles in one day and the swims were 15 kilometres in a 5 day period but I raised quite a bit of money.
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Me too! I think our longest walk was 25 miles (and only one had a swim portion), but they were great walks. Kids from local schools (who we were benefiting) were putting on little dance drills or chorals all along the way, and bringing us cups of water and stuff. It was really cool.
 
Have done volunteer work with a food bank. Also have made dolls and teddy bears to be given to people who could not easily afford to buy them as a gift for their kids or grands. Some also make their way to women's shelters as a lot of times the women leave with nothing and a doll or teddy gives the kid something to love.
 
Before COVID-19, I volunteer taught English as a second language along with reading, computer, and math skills through the local library system. I plan to continue doing that when the library restarts those programs.

Most of the students are Mexican and Somalian women whose kids are old enough to go to school, so they want to learn how to function in American society. People from these cultures tend to stay home and raise their kids, so even though they are American citizens and have been for a number of years, they have not had the opportunity to get out into their new world. There are some men who attend, but these are few because they are already out in the world working. On occasion I have filled in for the person who usually runs the English conversation groups, and that is always interesting because you learn quite a bit about the cultures represented by the people attending. You can also pick up some of their languages if you show even the least bit of interest, which hopefully the volunteers will.

I don't see this as a "cause", so much as simple human decency of people helping each other out.

Tony
 
Through the 80's through early 2000's, I was a volunteer ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher. It started with Vietnamese boat people in Niagara Falls, then at a high school in Toronto, and finally with MicroSkills which was government and business funded. MS trained people (majority women) who wanted to enter the work-force .. not solely focused on language skills. They never failed to impress me with their computer skills. There were classes to advise them as to how to dress for an interview, and clothes were donated. It was rewarding to meet women who shared their life stories (some very sad), and their backgrounds. Every Friday, we all brought food to share .. Indian, Chinese, Spanish, African, all delicious. Those were memorable times in my life.
 
In my younger days I volunteered at a state mental hospital in California and worked with mentally retarded people. I remember one beautiful three year old dying little girl. She was Jewish and had a genetic disease (forgot the name) which destroyed her brain over time.

Her parents brought the most beautiful dresses for her, but by the time I met her she was bedridden and near the end of her life. It was so sad.

Then I did foster care for about 30 plus years.
 

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