My parents have both been avid volunteers throughout their lives despite full-time jobs, University upgrades, two young children, and financial hardships. They continue to volunteer with multiple organizations in their "retirement" (from their paid jobs). They would tell you that their rewards have been and are many.
My time has come. I stepped up for a 2 year board position as VP, followed by President. It seems that there is never a "good time" to volunteer. It's a similar dilemma to that of choosing when to have children. We all lead busy lives no matter what stage of life we find ourselves in. As Teddy Roosevelt said, "Do what you can, with what you have, where you are."
Various responses to my new commitment have been mixed: "We all need to take our turn", "It's not too late to resign", "If you want something done, ask a busy person", "Studies show that being involved improves your child's performance", and " You need to learn how to say 'no'."
Yes, I will have less time for myself. Perhaps, I will even have to decrease my paid work hours and decrease my family time to meet my new commitments. But these are sacrifices that will be met with the learning of new skills, the satisfaction of contributing to something I believe in, and the development of friendships.
Like immunizations, we can ride on the coattails of others and benefit from herd immunity or we can choose to do all for the greater good; both options come with pros and cons. Ultimately, we are not martyrs. Our choices are made because they bring us personal gains. As a wise man once told me, even Mother Teresa did what she did because it made her feel good.
I close with a quote from John Ruskin, "The highest reward for a person's work is not what they get for it, but what they become because of it."
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