Here Come New Ideas for Volunteering

Many of us can profess to leading busy lives. Between working full time, taking care of the family, cleaning the house, and running errands, you probably hardly have any time for yourself.

The Ivoryton Playhouse, Ivoryton, CT

One way to get some time to yourself is to do some volunteer work. I volunteer at the local theater, The Ivoryton Playhouse, as an Usher.  I also help them with some online marketing whenever I can. I enjoy this kind of volunteer work because I love the theater and it is a way to make new friends. My interest in the theater came from my Grandmother, now I continue on the tradition with my Mother. We usher together.

Another way I found gratifying to give back to the community was to volunteer as a Friendly Visitor for the local Assisted Living/Convalescent Home. As people grow older they find many of their friends and relatives pass away over time. Older people also develop more health problems and they need some support or friendship because they become lonely.  This program was created to help give them a better quality of life. Someone other than their family they can turn to talk to and have some fun. They bring in a Friendly Visitor.

I was vetted through an agency in my local, and matched with a person in the Convalescent Home. I told them my likes and dislikes. The Home gave me the rules. I follow the dress code, and follow some safety and cleanliness guidelines. More or less I am there to be a friend for someone who needs a friend.

We play game like scrabble and rummy. You can be matched up with someone who shares you interests. Many people need letters written for relatives for them, or just someone they can talk to. It is a way to pay it forward, perhaps you might have your own Friendly Visitor in the future. It is a way to give back.

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