Why We Volunteer (Volume #1)

Not too long ago we were asked to do a presentation at a school, with the view to outlining who we (FriendShip Prague) were and what we do.

I came to a part where I had to describe what my motivation is for doing this. Why do I volunteer?

My reasons had begun, I guess, as a well meaning obligation. “I should help." and also as someone who wanted social interaction... to meet new people.

But where do I actually stand? Why am I still here?

I took a moment to seriously reflect on it and the answer I came to surprised me.

I put myself in their shoes, the people whom we call 'friends'.
I thought about how they are and about their lives and tried to see the world as they do.

Have I ever been hungry? Have I ever felt alone? Have I ever needed a shower? Have I ever been tired and had nowhere to lie down? Have I ever been scared, cold or thirsty? Have I ever felt like an outcast, that I didn’t matter, that no one cared?

I could honestly answer yes to these questions.

But to really be in their shoes means feeling these things all day, every day and that to me seems like being somewhere where you desperately need help,

So I got my answer to why I do it.

At a basic level, it is to help feed the hungry, clothe those who are dirty and give something to drink to the thirsty.

But what comes from those core things can be so much more.

Having a smile or a joke with someone. Showing kindness. Asking about their day, their mood, how an issue they had had the previous time we spoke has progressed. Letting them know that they matter.

I heard a story one time about a guy who was down on his luck, depressed and suicidal, who had decided to end his life and had the whole thing planned.

That day he met a man whom he had a casual acquaintance with and he said, “How’s it going Jimmy?”

Jimmy replied, whether knowing how much the guy needed it or not “All the better for seeing you, my friend.”

And that was all it took for him to decide to stick around and try again at life.

As he puts it, “If someone like Jimmy cares about me and thinks I’m a good guy, then maybe I should stick around.”
That same guy who 'stuck around' now gives seminars and helps thousands of people who like he was, are down on their luck.

So why do I do it?

I guess it is to give hope, and to try and take some of those negatives out of someone’s life and replace them with something positive, even if only for a few hours on a Saturday.

And I honestly hope that through this work we can help turn people's lives around, and maybe by showing them that someone does care, it will ignite positive change in their lives.

Christy- A volunteer.