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FREESTYLE VOLUNTEER STORIES
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Why freestyle volunteer? March 17, 2009
The New York Times says jobless
people are trying but failing to find volunteer openings at Manhattan
nonprofits that can't "Absorb
Flood of New Volunteers." Volunteering freestyle - hands-on and
outside the box of agencies, commissions, committees, boards, etc. - takes
the pressure off the nonprofits AND gives volunteers worthwhile work right
away!
Of course nonprofits and public agencies are essential to America's
well-being, but individuals are sorely needed to step in and fill the gaps
left by scarcer public budgets and nonprofit services. People who are easy
for freestylers to find and approach, because
they're ambulatory, articulate, and share the public spaces all around us,
are those who are socially isolated in our midst by their homelessness,
chronic mental illness, or immigrant status as displaced persons. Meeting
one of these people at a cafe' for coffee and conversation one hour a week
may seem a trivial contribution, but over time the meetings make a
difference - and imagine the effect if thousands of volunteers each chose a
"coffee companion"!
The "Getting Started" sidebar is a logical series of past posts
to explain how you can choose a person in need, foster the connection, set
limits, stay safe, and even have a good time. Stories about actual persons
(I change names and scramble biographical details to protect their privacy)
show the individuality and realness of the lives of those we pass by on the
streets as if they were invisible. Real-life stories also, I hope, help
reduce the stigma around mental illness. Individuals with psychiatric
disorders still seem "peculiar" to the general public, even
frightening and necessary to avoid, despite their heroic struggles to
manage their diseases through medical treatment.
I hope this space will become a forum where freestyle volunteers can share
their experiences of the amazing people they work with and support each
other. Please leave comments so I'll know you're out there! I welcome all
suggestions for making Freestyle Volunteer a better blog.
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