Volunteering to give life meaning...

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Does anyone here volunteer on a weekly basis for charity?

My life is pretty unfulfilled at the moment and I go back to a lonely empty apartment every night and it kills me now and then. I get anxiety attacks or on the flip side, flashes of depression where I imagine my arm gaping from my wrist to the inside of my elbow.

I have this idea that volunteering my time will somehow give my life meaning. To a selfish extent, maybe it'll get me out of this funk because as s-h-i-t-t-y as my life may seem to me, it's not as poopy as the homeless person I'll be handing out a meal to.

And I put this in Love and Dating because I have this gut feeling that my ex is having tons of fun right now partying as I type while I'm contemplating the meaning of life that for the most part, he left majorly empty.

Sounds like a sensible idea.

As someone who has practically lived in a church my entire life, I can say that if you find a good quality group (regardless of religious or secular status) to work with, it will help in much of this regard... The church I'm at accepts me for who I am without reservation, and almost all of my real life friends are from there...

The only place that is still drastically horrible is the love life, since the 18-30 demographic isn't exactly one that attends church with any regularity... but it helped with the "finding a place in life" problem...

PS: If anyone knows some kind of volunteer group to find that has younger people involved (and preferably single women at that), i need some ideas... I've found that women that involve themselves in volunteer activities tend to fall into the "respectable and honest human being" category (as opposed to the "manipulative self-serving b***h" category)... and being respectable and honest is something that I find attractive in a woman... I'm not saying that I couldn't find respectable women elsewhere, but volunteerism is a good "filter" against the overly self-serving...

I am going to put in a shameless plug to volunteer at your local SPCA. There are not alot of single women who work at my local office but there could be at the one in your area. It does offer you a chance to interact with others as well as a way to combat lonliness.

Sounds like a good plan, I don't think it will work if your just packing boxes or something but working with the homeless where you can see the results of your effort sounds like a good choice.

Volunteering is fun and fulfilling. I've done some work with NARAL Pro choice America before, and I also like working at animal shelters, or community gardens.But my most fulfilling volunteer work was working with ESL students to improve their English. It felt right to be there with them, and I learned a lot from their experiences. I am also considering volunteering at a thereputic horseback riding school for disabled people, but the distance is considerable, I might not be able to.
I would recommend the animal shelters if you have no aversion to animals, they are comforting and cheering for me, the best of companions.

Yes I volunteer for the NAS befriending an autie with cerebral palsy. I do it every 2 weeks, atm but it is pretty flexible basically what he, his mother and I are happy with. It is rewarding for sure, but also challenging.

Before you throw yourself into volunteering consider the type of volunteering you want to do. Some volunteering you can literally start today, but that tend to be stuff that ASD might not like fundraising, going door to door, etc. Other volunteering requires training and criminal checks. Also after this you may be waiting for a while before you are actually placed. There is also paperwork, which is kind of a bore, but it makes it "official".

Also don't think that you will want to do it every single day, wait and see.

Volunteer work can be fun and really rewarding. It also makes me feel part of society and being able to really help people (contrary to my ordinary job). But it has also a serious aspect to it. There will always be certain responsibilities.

There are some things you need to decide first:
- how much time in a week you want to spend on volunteer work
- are you comfortable working with people
- do you want to work at home or at a location
- do you prefer work indoors or outdoors?

This can be a factor:
- do you prefer working with kids or adults

And when you start, ask about your rights and obligations. Also set a first evaluation date. That is important to see if everybody is happy with you and you are happy with your volunteer work.


At least that is how it works for me, my volunteer work is a serious thing for me.

Consider becoming an adult leader, Assistant Scoutmaster, or even Scoutmaster of a Boy or Girl Scout troop -- you'll have a great impact on young lives, and have a lot of fun at the same time.

I think volunteering is a great idea. It is also a great way to meet others. You just never know.

I'm volunteering for a female domestic violence shelter, but I'm just doing it to pick up chicks. I also help out my aspie friends and that's only cause their sisters are really hot.

Volunteering is fun! I dont personally do it with the intention of meeting people. I just enjoy the feeling and moment i suppose. And also the helping out.

I is volunteering this Sunday. Woot!

Volunteering will give you some purpose and self fulfillment, but once you realise the ratio of what you give compared to what you get out of it, it might feel a bit egotistical.

If you want true hardcore altruism, pull off a daring armed robbery and use the proceeds to build an AIDS hospital in Botswana. If you dodge death and the law, you'll end up with a great sense of fulfillment