Volunteering....a Positively Health Choice

Most people I know do some sort of volunteering. Helping others warms your heart and soul. It grows a greater appreciation for those around us and highlights how truly fortunate most of us are. If you are like me a lot of the volunteering I do is easy. You write a check, donate a turkey at Thanksgiving for a food basket, help in a child’s classroom or drop a toy in a barrel for a child at Christmas. But when was the last time you stepped outside your comfort zone to volunteer. I mean really out of your comfort zone.

For the second year I have stepped out of my comfort zone to help at a clinic that offers free medical, dental and vision care to those without insurance.  The clinic lasted four days and I was there three of them. Every year it sucks me in a little more and now I cannot image not being there. I watch for next year’s date to post so that I can sign up and anxiously wait to see my friends from the previous years. For me these are some of the most precious moments in my life.

This particular event is hosted by RAM or Remote Area Medical which runs free clinics across the United States. Now I have no medical experience so I am what they called a general volunteer. Some hauled trash, others help with lunch for the volunteers and others did registration. There were lots and lots of jobs. My job this year was to get those who came for services to a waiting nurse or EMT so that their vitals and medical history could be taken before being sent to a doctor or dentist. I was to watch for open spots at the tables and flag down a person standing at the front who would then escort them to the available medical staff.

 My friends will tell you that I do a good job of making a spectacle out of myself and this day was no exception. On that first day it became very obvious that the people up front were having a hard time seeing me because I am short. So I started stretching my arms high above my head and waving them. I know some of you can already envision what this must have looked like. Soon the person at the front was waving back at me and we were both laughing. A short time after that I could see one of the volunteers pointing at me as they were escorting people toward the table I was waving for. Then all of us were laughing both volunteers and patients. I had become the designed waver for the medical staff.

I made so many friends and they all had stories about why they had volunteered for this particular event. One lady had gotten her EMT license just so see could come to these types of events; her day job is the Marketing Director for Jelly Belly. One surgical nurse from Southern California was having such a good time that the following day his son who is a journeyman bricklayer and lived local joined him. There were two retired nurses who not only did these types of clinics but travel to Mexico and Ecuador on medical missions. One of them had driven five hours to get to her friends to help at the clinic. Such wonderful people all of them. If those friendships were not enough the people helped were so grateful. Many of these people had stood in line over night just to get these precious services. They would say thank you over and over again. Their children were so polite and respectful not once did any of the children scream or have a tantrum. I don’t know about you but I cannot even image standing in line all night out in the elements with small children and still have my wits about me in the morning.

My challenge for all of you is to step out of your comfort zone the next time you volunteer. Instead of sponsoring a person running for a cause do the run yourself and raise your own funds. Don’t just drop that toy in the barrel call the Salvation Army and ask if you can help sort or distribute the toys. If you are donating food why not help cook and serve it to those less fortunate. Take a risk and take that extra step. Make this the year to do more and take your volunteering to a new level. You will be surprised how wonderful you feel at the end of the day by stepping out of your comfort zone. There is no better time than the present to make volunteering one of your positively healthy choices everyday.