Volunteering, A Gift For You From You

May 27, 2007

Public radio station WFAE-FM ( 90.7) hosted its Volunteer Appreciation gathering Sunday.

It is good to be recognized, but the small amount of time I spent working the phones and stuffing envelopes in the WFAE University City office had already been rewarded. Volunteering always gives back as much -- and usually more -- than it gives out.

One of the first times I volunteered at WFAE, I talked to another volunteer about our children. The volunteer's daughter is a fitness trainer and training for a triathlon with a kayaking segment.

Our conversation turned to kayaks, and I offered mine for her daughter's use. My husband and I are kayakers with many excuses as to why we don't put our kayak into water.

Now the kayak is being used, and the daughter has given me a series of fitness consultations. I have wanted to talk with a trainer for some time, but the money, time or inspiration never lined up properly.

Thanks to my volunteering, I was rewarded greatly.

Two years ago, my daughter and I participated in a Women's Build with Habitat for Humanity. I went to experience Habitat's work, and my daughter went to fill her résumé for college applications.

Neither one of these were stellar reasons for volunteering, but the magic of volunteering took place nonetheless. We were in the phase of stressful teenage daughter/mother relations, and the Saturdays we hammered at something other than one another were a joyous relief. Our Habitat days were wonderful.

In the novel "Pay It Forward" by Catherine Ryan Hyde, the character Trevor explains his notion of volunteering, his "pay it forward" concept:

"You see, I do something real good for three people. And then when they ask how they can pay it back, I say they have to Pay It Forward. To three more people. Each. So nine people get helped. Then those people have to do twenty-seven. Then it sort of spreads out, see. To eighty-one. Then two hundred forty-three. Then seven hundred twenty-nine. Then two thousand, one hundred eighty-seven. See how big it gets?"

Volunteering is paying it forward. As Trevor would say, it does "spread out and get big."

Since the estimated population in University City is 200,000, do the math. It would take only one volunteer act from each resident to produce a tremendous amount of good works to improve life in University City.

Each participant would get more than he or she gave out. Volunteering is one of the best bargains in life.

On the Web

www.payitforwardfoundation.org