Dove Chocolate Challenge Day # 35 "Volunteering can change your life!" Sharon / Somerset, NJ

This is true. Volunteering can truly change your life, it has mine. I've been working at Joel's Place for 2 years, going on three, and my first two years at Joel's Place have been as an AmeriCorps volunteer. I just finished my two year term of AmeriCorps in August. If you've never heard of AmeriCorps, it's like the national version of the Peace Corps. It was a good experience, aN invaluable one at that. I have learned so much, and have accomplished things that I probably would never have dreamed of at such a young age. At the age of 19 I was given the opportunity to be the AmeriCorps VISTA Development Director at Joel's Place. A development director at 19? Yeah! It was crazy, but it was definitely challenging and a big growth curve for me. It certainly has been. VISTA stands for Volunteer In Service To America, by the way, just thought I'd let you know what the acronym stood for to not get it confused with any other VISTA.  :)

In the past two years I have chaired committee meetings, gathered groups together to accomplish great things, dabbled in grant writing, fundraising, community partnerships, funding development, database development, and things such as that. But what really has touched my life as the volunteer is the people I had the priveledge of serving. I have been able to glean a lot from the people around me, the volunteers, the leadership, and the kids that come to Joel's Place. It has been amazing, rewarding, and most definitely life changing. I will never be the same.

In short, volunteering can change your life, it truly can. When you lend your hand to offer help to others, it is the most rewarding experience of all. A life of service is worth it. Even if it is you coming in once a week and serving meals, making dinner, cleaning the bathrooms, or just surpervising activites. All of it is useful, helpful, takes a load of off the people leading these efforts everyday, and you just change because you build relationships with amazing people and ultimately you gain new friendships and you become family. And once your family, then you're stuck for life. You have people you can rely on, people that will help you out in times of trouble and be there for you in return. It is truly amazing. I love it.

Well,

Good night ladies and gents,

Peaceful dreams


-Your Fellow Chocolatier


PS, here's a quote I thought I'd leave you with, this is what happens when we get together and work in unity;
**(volunteering)**

The fruits of social relationships are all around us, every bridge, every park, every surgery, every symphony, is the product of human beings who came together to do something greater than any one of them could've done alone. - This Emotional Life, documentary