<p>It’s taken me quite a long time to find a good volunteer activity. I volunteered for three different organizations that were, sadly, beset with organizational problems that made the volunteering more problematic than not. I seem to have finally found my “niche” with Literacy Volunteers. I teach English as a second language to immigrants. They are very grateful and I really enjoy it.</p>
<p>With many of us concerned about how we’ll fill our time after retirement, I thought this might be a good topic. What volunteer activities have you found satisfying?</p>
<p>“What volunteer activities have you found satisfying?”</p>
<p>Taking care of cats at a local no kill shelter. The kitties seemed to be grateful that someone not only took care of their basic needs but also played with and petted them. :)</p>
<p>I volunteer at a library and am starting to volunteer at a hospital. The hospital work is a bit more demanding, which I kind of like. They’re both worthwhile imo, but the library work can be a bit dull on slow days (which are quite frequent).</p>
<p>I volunteer in my church. Most satisfying activity I’ve had to this date. They’ve seen me grow up. We’re a family basically. A lot of our events are put on by church members. We plan it, staff it, execute it all in our spare time. It’s hard many times, but each year we get better and better. </p>
<p>Bookworm I also help with my library’s book clubs - we have done clubs for adults and teens and in the fall will be doing one for middle school kids! I currently have a part-time job, but when I didn’t I also helped out regularly doing stuff like shelving, shelf reading, etc.</p>
<p>I’m starting a new volunteer gig at our local Girls On The Run program. It promotes health, wellness and fitness (walking/running) for elementary/middle school aged girls. </p>
<p>I read on Friday afternoons at the local elementary school to first graders. I rotated between two classrooms. Parent readers were encouraged but often no parent reader had signed up that week. One of the two classes was designated ESL (English as a Second Language), and many of the parents did not feel comfortable reading aloud. So, it was a rare week when I didn’t go to the school. The children loved the end of the week storytime and the teachers got about 40 minutes to do whatever needed to be done in the classroom.</p>
<p>I also volunteer quarterly for patron count at the library but that’s more of a sporadic commitment. </p>
<p>I belong to a “giving circle”, and I have found volunteering my time there to be very rewarding. All the members contribute a set annual amount, and then we grant the money to local non profits. I volunteer on the grants committee, and that entails reading and vetting grant applications. We do it in teams, and this year I led one of the teams. Such a great way to meet other women and to learn about the needs of our city.</p>
<p>I volunteer for my parish, taking Communion to shut-ins and helping with Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) classes. I am also helping with an acquaintance’s congressional campaign, and I’m thinking of getting into animal rescue transport. </p>
<p>I volunteer at a well known garden that is a 26 mile drive from my house. I had concerns about the types of experiences the OP had, so it took awhile to find the type of work I knew would be fulfilling, even though it is a long drive. The other volunteers, as well as the staff, are affable and dedicated. I’m willing to work in the blazing sun to prune roses, just to converse with them.</p>