Give Yourself Away

Earlier this year I volunteered as a literacy tutor to work with 1st graders at a nearby elementary school. Every Monday for an hour I went to the school to work with two or three of the children who most needed reading help. It quickly became apparent that there were some children who had hardly ever held a book, much less read one. And forget about owning one!

I ended up working with one little boy, Tavion, who was far behind in his skills. Nearing the end of his 1st grade year and he still was not recognizing sight words like "to", "the" and "for". We only shared about four tutoring sessions before he moved, again. I learned that he had moved numerous times in his young life, which in part explained his lack of reading skills.

This past week the school hosted a volunteer appreciation breakfast for everyone who had volunteered during the year. We were celebrated and acknowledged for our contribution. The teachers and administrators honored us for helping lighten their load. It was hard to choke back tears as I thought about how powerful one simple act of giving could be.

But even without the acknowledgement and appreciation, I had already made the decision to continue on next year. I will never forget the eager faces that greeted me each week. I will never forget the joy I witnessed when one of them would recognize a word and remember it the next week. I will never forget the sense of fulfillment I had from witnessing the learning and confidence that seemed to grow with each new victory, each new word added to a child's reading vocabulary. And it is my heartfelt hope that one little boy will remember that someone cared enough to spend time with him, helping him to learn this most essential skill.

Now this is not a story about me. It is a story about thousands of volunteers who make a difference in thousands of ways every day. If you are one of them, I celebrate you! If you have not yet found the place you'd like to give yourself away, please do not wait a moment longer to find one. A newspaper columnist recently wrote an editorial on how community service could transform our nation. I believe he was right. And even if you don't want to make a regular commitment to a single project or cause, find a neighbor that needs a hand. Pay attention to the elderly person who needs help putting groceries in their car. Volunteer to babysit for a young parent who needs some time to breathe.

Performing even one single act of kindness can transform a day-yours and someone else's. Below is a list of 10 ways you can give yourself away:

1. Volunteer to tutor at a school-any level from elementary through high school. You will be welcomed with open arms.
2. Contact a hospital or assisted living facility about volunteer opportunities. There are countless people who are literally dying for human connection.
3. Volunteer to pack weekend food backpacks for at risk children.
4. Offer to conduct a free workshop or seminar for an organization that helps displaced workers.
5. Set up a neighborhood clean-up project. (Someone did this in a neighborhood near me recently and several hundred volunteers turned out.)
6. Contact a community service program and offer to answer phones or do office work.
7. Get in touch with your local Habitat for Humanity organization and volunteer for one of their home-building projects. Prior experience is not required!
8. Find out about volunteer opportunities with veterans through a local veteran's hospital or other organization.
9. Organize a yard or garage sale and give the proceeds to a charity in your area.
10. Volunteer to serve meals at a local shelter or find out about other service opportunities to those going through tough times.

Quote of the Week:

"Of all those people who went before to prepare the way for us, most of those people will not ask us to pay them back. But what they do ask of us is to pay it forward - that we make this world a better place for those who come after us in just the way that they made this a better place for us."

~~Naomi Tutu
South African Human Rights Activist

Inspirational Reading

One of the best ways to keep ourselves "heart-ready" to serve is by reading inspirational books and poetry. This month, may I recommend from the Simple Truths collection, May You Be Blessed. Take a look and see if it doesn't inspire you to "give yourself away" this week.

May You Be Blessed with FREE DVD - $ 15.95 "Sometimes our light goes out but is blown again into flame by an encounter with another human being. Each of us owes the deepest thanks to those who have rekindled this inner light." This is a quote from Albert Schweitzer, but it captures the essence of what "May You Be Blessed" is all about.

"Transforming Your Potential into Performance!"
Betty Mahalik, PCC Life & Business Coach, Trainer bettym@dynamic-coaching.com www.dynamic-coaching.com	Dynamic Solutions 5240 Mustang St. Las Vegas, NV 89130 tel: 702 658-4425 fax: 702 658-5802 mobile: 702 443-0175
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