<p>Best volunteer exercise I remember hearing about was curmugeon’s daughter who was basically a candy striper in a local hospital. She saw a need for Hispanic patients to be able to talk to non-Spanish speaking doctors and developed a system (flash cards?) of basic questions. It’s not just about volunteering - it’s about taking the next step - seeing needs and acting on them. Raising money one time isn’t that hard - heck friends and I did that in 7th grade.</p>