Giving Away Time

Palos Verdes Charity Event

Time.  Do any of us have enough of it?  In a world that seems to spin a little faster with each new technological advance we often feel we are "on call" around the clock. With work and family demands to meet, it is surprising so many find time to donate their time and abilities to help members of the community.

I admire people who give away time for the benefit of others.  Over the years I've volunteered at my children's schools, timed swim meets, played soccer team mom, served on a cooperative nursery school board of directors and a host of other child related community volunteer activities.  I loved being the Art at Your Fingertips volunteer as I think our elementary schools need to include more art and music in their curriculum, not less.

 I've served on my local Board of Realtors in several capacities throughout my real estate career.  I've also ventured out in support of a few local and national politicians.  However, my most rewarding activities were playing Squad Mom when my son served in the Marine Corps and collecting Toys for Tots each holiday season. I remember one Halloween I sent goodie bags for the entire platoon.  My postage bills were enormous during my son's two tours of duty, but the reward of knowing I was supporting and doing something of value for the young men in my son's squad and platoon far surpassed the expense and chore of shopping and mailing their weekly packages. 

It seems opportunities to volunteer in the community are available at every stage of life and often present themselves without much effort.  A few years ago I mailed a real estate marketing postcard to a neighborhood where I had recently sold a property.  A few days later I received a beautiful invitation to participate in a fund raiser from the head of the non-profit organization who lived in the neighborhood. That was the beginning of my association with Happy Hats for Hospitalized Kids.

Shortly thereafter my grandson was hospitalized for a few days.  My daughter called me from the hospital and said, "You have to see the hat your grandson is wearing."  Yes, the funny hat, along with a coloring book, crayons and other fun stuff for hospitalized children was supplied by none other than the organization where I had recently started volunteering.  

I think the most important aspect of volunteering is it does not matter so much what you do as long as you do something.   Whether it is a beach cleanup or building a house, the collective effort of many will serve the community well.  Taking homemade soup to a sick neighbor is no less important than registering citizens to vote or serving on a community board.

Every community has a plethora of opportunities for volunteers.  Some require hours, others require dollars.  I recently started my own real estate brokerage and the past several months have been quite busy.  However, when business picks up so do my donations to charity.  For years I have donated a portion of each commission check to The Children's Miracle Network.  Likewise, during the holidays I make it a habit to purchase a pre-filled grocery bag of food at the check-out of the local Sprouts Market each and every time I entered the market.  They make it easy to donate.  All I had to say was , "Add one to my bill" and a family's holiday was a little brighter with more food on their table.  Talk about hitting the "easy button"!  Even when time is in short supply we can share our good fortune with others and make the world a little bit better for future generations (including those gorgeous grandchildren of mine) because we were here.

I've always said I try to be the "Johnny Appleseed" of good work wherever I'm planted. From being a founding member of the Ballet Society in one city, to beach cleanup in another, I've found there are always opportunities to do good work as we make our journey through life.