What do you do to give back?

“I put a few hours in today in our local Walk for Life event (Team Yates). While going around the track Tamara joined me for a few laps (she volunteers at the event) during our conversation we realized that virtually all of our friends were volunteers in one way or another.

Some helped at the hospital, some with SAR, some were volunteer fire fighters, some were Scout Leaders, some worked with youth groups, some volunteered as Rangers. I had never really thought about it before, but everyone in our "Circle" gave something back to the community. We even tried to find someone that didn't, but we always came up with, well ,they worked at Sober Grad Night or they took that group of kids caving or they did that beach clean up at Whiskeytown.

Yea, I'm proud of my friends, but it made me realize that most folks give something back, especially the outdoor crowd, something I hadn't really thought about. Perhaps I'm not as cynical as I thought I was in my old age.

Tell us what you have done to give a little back.”

“sounds good mtsteve :) I know you put a lot back! :)

This year I am doing the 3-day walk for breast cancer. I try to do a walk once a year. Past years it has been alzehimers and arthrits- though this years will be the most money raised thanks to all the wonderful friends I have here at the hospital. :)
I usually do some kind of volenteer clean ups- trail work, stream/river/beach clean ups and restorations. I've done volenteer work rehibilitating wild sea mammals, and I've done volenteer work at the sacramento childrens recieving home.


BTW, thanks for a good thread topic!
last edited: 6/12/05 9:59:24 PM”

“Paul Butterfield had a song called, It all comes back.

I'd have to say it does.
last edited: 6/12/05 10:29:03 PM”

“i ref kids basketball in the winter. i usually give about 8-10 hrs of my time for each of the tournaments i work for throughout the season. 2 years ago i worked 4 games one night(25 bucks a game) and bought split the pot tickets with the money i had made that night. i put the name of the school on the tickets and one of them got picked at the end of the tournament. so instead of the school getting $850 from the raffle it got all 1700. that made me happy. i know they used it well. i usually just give the money back to the guy who pays out, though.
this past year i worked a tournament that paid all of the proceeds to a local family. a k mart was being robbed and after getting his family out this guy went back in to stop the guy. he ended up getting shot a couple of times. i wouldn't have fought it but the guy needed a lot of surgery and the family needed the income he wasn't bringing in. i worked 55 games for that tournament last december and donated all my time. it was a long month and there were a few times i wanted to change my mind about not getting paid but now im glad i did it. i got a really cool letter from the family. i especially liked the pictures from his kids. my doing that helped a few other refs decide to help out too.”

“Hi Steve! I volunteer as a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate). This is for kids that are in the court system due to parent's issues. As a CASA, we are there for the children only....”

“Yes, this is a great topic!

Hey Spirit,
How's the training going for the 3-Day? I've been doing a LOT of walking! :-) Still trying to reach my minimum of $2,100... but the money is slowly trickling in! (Thanks to some of the TTers, I'm getting closer!) I originally hoped to raise $5,000, but at this point, I'm hoping that I can at least meet my minimum and hopefully get to $3,000.... (Raising money is a lot harder than it looks!)

You know, I was in Chicago This weekend... Next time I go, I'll see if I can meet up with some of the Chicago TTers! :-)

:-)

Other things I've done over the years to give back to my community:
Muscular Dystrophy Lock-up
Volunteering countless hours to 3 different community organizations...
Can Drives and Clothing Drives for the Homeless... (We've done that at our New Year's party on different years...)
Habitat for Humanity... :-)
Helping a friend who was in need of a place to stay-- he stayed with my hubby and me for 6 months...
last edited: 6/13/05 2:41:03 AM”

“During the summer I lead tours of Three Caves to raise money for the Land Trust of Huntsville and North Alabama. There were 36 people on yesterday's tour. In the fall I help with trail maintenance and building new trails.”

“I volunteer my time as a water commissioner for our local water district. It's a 3 year elected position and I average 20 hours a week.

I also volunteer and take care of IT needs at the Humane Society.”

“pink- no kidding about it being hard to get teh funds LOL I have collected most at work- my department even helped organize a bake-sale at the hospital. I will turn in the batch of donations shortly. I am almost there :) I got my doctors approval turned in. Have been walking a lot too- yesterday I wore the wrong socks and ended up with blisters LMAO My broken toe should be no problem by the walk- I hope.”

“I founded and coach (now with the help of former students - life is getting even better, now) two high school rugby teams - that way I put back into rugby.

I coached volleyball (all five foot-nothing of me) because there was no-one else that would do it.

I guess I've saved a few lives. One of our social workers was anorexic when she was in my class and I got her to get help (happens a lot in this business).”

“I've been a scoutmaster for 3 years now.

we, as a family, are volunteers for Prospect Park in Brooklyn, raising money, working their Halloween events, recycling projects and such.

We do blood drives, food drives, toy drives, periodically throughout the year.

We are docents at the New York Aquarium, although moving to Staten Island and other projects has drastically reduced the amount of time spen there these days.

We have done a little trail mintenance in the recent past, too.

Maple has several projects of her own that I will let her elaborate on...
last edited: 6/13/05 8:22:35 AM”

“I've been a scoutmaster in the past - two.5 years and will probably be getting involved again soon with a local troop.

I've coached t ball in the past and just finished coaching rec league soccer (what a blast that was)

Also just completed our local Cancer Society Relay for Life. My company was a national sponsor and I captained a team. My team raised over 1,300 and my company has to date kicked in 120,000.

Trying to teach my kids the value of donating time and effort as well. Giving back is fun, you meet new people and have something to feel good about.”

“I am huge HUGE fan of volunteering!

i have done some very cool things because of volunteering!
wish i had more thime to do it full time :)”

“Now this is what i'm talkin' about....thank you so much Mr mtnsteve for posting this thread....all these stories are really cool.....this should remain at the top at all times whether literally or in spirit....

It's nice to see that there are people on this board who truly devote their time and efforts to helping others rather than expend useless energy tooting their own horn. If nobody has said so....I want to personally thank each one of you that have or will post something which conveys the spirit of giving.....keep crankin' it out....”

“I also forgot some various clean-up efforts we do. The Earth Day clean-ups at the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn. We have also participated in a few river clean-ups, too...”

“strat, then you must have missed this thread.



http://thebackpacker.com/trailtalk/thread/17329,-1.php”

“My thanks to all of you.”

“maple...How many trees did you count?”

“LOL

will be starting tonight
i have about 300 to count.
UGH
:)”

“I am a member of our local Jaycees group that does lots of comm service stuff.

Help cook food for the Relay for Life Walk

Volunteer member of the advisory council for the elementary school

Helped form a new Riverfront committee..our current project is cleaning up a two-mile section of Ohio River frontage along Tell City and putting in recreational areas and walk/bike path.

Served on the board for local Emergency Managment Agency

Community Service is cool!”

“but I donate blood every 2 months. I have O- blood, so it is in high demand.”

“blowdown removal in wilderness areas - have crosscut will travel”

“donating blood is something I wish I could do- but I've been banned fromt eh blood bank all because of that dang mad cow thing...”

“which you have had right SC?”

“no...lol..I lived in germany as a kid- they wont let me donate becasue they have no test for Mad Cow, and anywhere in europe there is a possibility of it.”

“I've been a Boy Scout for 18 years.
7 as a youth and the rest as an adult volunteer. 5 as Scoutmaster.

Through that we have done a ton of service work for others. We like to think we are what Scouts should be but we'll let others be the judge of that.”

“that your NOT Nicole? Boy, I thought you was her...LOL @ me.

volunteering...American Cancer Society county board of directors. Publicity Chair Committee for Relay for Life.

Elementary School classroom sponsor with Cable in the Classroom.

card carrying member of NORML for 25 years.

fund drive director for School supplies, coats, canned food and toys, for children.

plus, I help people on the river all the time...even the billy bobs and jilly janes.”

“I had hrp A twice when I was a kid (this is why I am so insistent upon First Need water purifiers). We had a public blood drive at our school a few weeks ago. I had always been told I could never give blood and it always upset me (just to make our Cousins to the South piqued, blood is free in Canada and collected on a volunteer basis).

So I was comin g back from lunch and in a foul mood upon seeing all the posters and the people when it suddenly stuck me - I have NEVER given hep A to a gf! Obviously, then, it's not in my blood.

I told the nurse this and she giggled, asked me when the last illness occured and said I could give blood.

I am now (since receiving my card after all the test results were in) a REGULAR donor and they will call me in emergencies.

They ask you questions like, 'In the last twelve months have you had sexual relations with someone who has...'

'NO!'

It took two tries before she figured it out and started to laugh.”

“I'm managing a little league team, but to be honest, I'll never do another ounce of work for that organization again. The people that run our league are a bunch of complete #&%!$s who don't care about the kids playing baseball at all.

Instead, I'll increase my volunteer efforts in other places, like at BowlderSon's school, etc. I also donate money to my university because I benefited significantly from financial aid.”

“Bowlderman-- your donation to your university is a really great idea-- in this day and age, the cost of attending colleges/universities is just outrageous! Many students benefit from even a little bit of financial aid!”

“I learned an interesting statistic (that applies to my alma mater - it may be similar at other places, too) when I was doing some volunteer fund raising. They get about $2,000,000 a year from donations of $100 or less. Some people think a "small" donation like that doesn't help much, but $2,000,000 is a lot of financial aid!”

“ok here is how I give back (over the years)

Cub scout Leader
Boy Scout Leader
trail maint
Observed aN endangered flower
volunteerED in our local park by helping out in "gotta have park, Haunted Holloween Walk, clean up"
Ground Zero 9/11
took kids from broken homes hiking and canoeing
Ny Aquaium
Queens Zoo
Wildlife center on SI NY
Count the trees in NY
Stund Turtle Rescue
Wildlife rehaber

thats all i can remeber right now.”

“Bowlderman,
My experience this year with the 3-Day walk confirms what you say about "small donations helping"....

Between myself and my team of 11 people, we've raised $26,706.53... :-) I've gotten many small donations from people that add up! :-)

Even a donation of $50 towards a scholarship fund can be a lot of money--if only 1000 alumni give just $50, that's $50,000 for scholarships...”

“My husband will carry out or burn some trash that is burnable that has been left behind at campsites.

We did one beach clean up last year. They did give you a free pass for the year to the Olympics where the beach was located.

Me, I bury my turds. Sometimes just doing the right thing is help enough. Leave your campsite clean as if you were never there. That's what I want to find when I camp.”

“Interesting that this thread should come up today. I spent the day volunteering at a charity golf tournament for the Phoenix society, I and one other person ran the putting contest.

Most of my volunteer energy has been focused locally, especially on the public schools.
last edited: 6/13/05 9:31:53 PM”

“I've been active in Scouting for 30+ years, give blood every 3 months, chaired the youth program at a rod and gun club for 10 years, plus trail and river cleanups and maintenance.I also do what's called random acts of kindness,, like giving anonomously to needy folks, and even pay road tolls for the car behind me from time to time,, I figure good deeds can be contagious.”

“I gave a homeless man my salad this morning.”

“Lots of good Karma.

I didn't begin donating blood until a few years ago. I had been told that if you had malaria you couldn't. During a blood drive for a wounded Deputy, a nurse told me to get off my ass and donate, she said that the malaria rules had been changed and that I could. Am I the only one that thinks the finger prick is the worse part?”

“I hunt. Most people do not realize how much money hunters put back into the wilderness through their purchases of hunting licenses and supplies. Guns and ammo are under a special tax fund and a portion of that money goes back into the outdoors through money to purchase public land, wetlands restoration etc etc. I am also a member of the NWTF and we introduce wild turkeys to areas where they have been extinct since the early 1900's. Oh yeah, and I build habitat for humanity homes.”

“To-day is the last day of classes and the exam session begins to-morrow.

I am with my teenies, a Grade 8 class. I was supposed to teach an Outdoor Ed. class and they gave me two groups of teenies. We're sitting in a computer lab - that is I'm sitting and they're wiggling. My seniors used to come to the gym just to watch and giggle at me with the little ones.

Anyhoo, at the risk of degrading this thread with one-upmanship I would like to share a bizarre episode with you guys.

In 1992, while going through a very messy divorce, I was going out with a very nice lady and we are still friends. The family situatin was both difficult and good. They were somewhat disfunctional (the lady has an alcohol problem) and the kids became very attached to me - both played rugby for our school when they got to high school.

Anyway, in 2000 I got a 'phone call one Sunday afternoon from the mother. Now, she would 'phone me when she was going through a crisis (not rare) or for the odd service call, but she was in a panic this time.

Her 16 year-old daughter had run away and she had called the police.

Well, I went over and she was there with a box of wine and in a state. I joined her with the wine and when the police called to say they'd found the girl we were both pretty much in the bag.

The situation was/is that if the kid doesn't want to go home the police won't force her, but if the mother says not to take the kid someplace they won't. Both participants are pretty hard headed and that meant the kid would spend time at the station while they try to find an emergency shelter which could be 500 km away.

Ready?

'She can spend the night at my place.' I said.

Silence, then the mother repeats it to the cop. The cop asks the girl and asks to speak to me.

I said I'd drive to the station and pick her up, but the policewoman sas NO, they'll drive her to my place and after giving directions I said we'd probably arrive at the same time.

Now I live in a vey small house, a former one-room school house, there is a small entrance, one bedroom, one bathroom, an open kitchen and a very large living room with a davenport and couches.

Also, I had a bunch of guns leaning in corners - highly illegal in Canada (I now have a locking gun cabinet).

The policewoman had a big smile on her face and I told them that I had washed the bead-clothes and that Mylène would have the bedroom. Everything was cool, I thought.

That's when the telephone went into panic mode. I got calls from 'Ado-crisis', 'Families in Crisis', Child Protection and Social Service emergency line - all in nearby cities. I explained that I knew personally the social workers in our local CLSC (Centre local de services communautaires) and that I would contact them in the morning - which I did and the mother of one of my students took the case.

That evening the I drove the kid back to my place after school thinking I'd be driving her home. Well the social worker set up a meeting with the mother on Wednesday - two days later than I'd planned.

After school we went to the village restaurant for an early dinner and I drove her to the CLSC to meet her mother. I had a weird feeling and decided to have a beer instead of returning home and drop back to the CLSC in an hour.

When I arrived the kid was in tears and the social worker in shock.

That began a month of family life with me and a 16 year-old kid.

As you can imagine this caused not a little disconcertion in our rural community. We'd go to the restaurant for dinner and people would come up to me and ask how things were going while staring at the girl whom I would introduce as my niece and people would nod.

The situation was a source of great hilarity with my best buddy and his brother (the one who tried to steal the piglet at the county fair and who has outrun the state police in his Ford 350). We dropped over to my buddy's place and the brother and their father were there. I introduced the girl as my neice and the brothers were on the floor behind their Dad.

'She must be from the French side of your family, Doug (knowing phucking well I don't have a French side).'

'Yes.' I said.

Anyway, as I said, it lasted a month and I brought her home one Thursday evening. It was set up that way because the mother works late at the bank on Thursdays.

I hit a deer on the way back home.”