Volunteering as Opportunity: Reflections of a Volunteer

Kelly Marie Lux has volunteered with the Volunteer Center for years, longer than most of the staff has been around. She compiles the weekly listings of volunteer opportunities, writes pieces of the newsletter, and recently began writing profiles our of Volunteers of the Week. We asked Kelly to share a few thoughts about her volunteer experience.

 

Volunteering is important to me because it has provided me with opportunity.

I have mostly volunteered for the work experience. Being disabled, I have found seeking employment challenging due to my circumstance.

Even though I have graduated from college, I felt underprepared to face the rigors of the working world because of my minimal experience.That’s where volunteering comes in.

When I started my first volunteer job, which was at a library doing work on a database, I wasn’t sure I if would be able to use the computer, let alone do the job, even though I knew it wasn’t difficult. But after I figured out the simple accommodations that worked for me, I realized that everything was much simpler than I thought it would be. Even though it was a really boring job, I could do it. That meant a lot.

Since then I have had several volunteer positions, mostly in offices. My big breakthrough came when one of my supervisors gave me an assignment to write an article about a food co-op for a monthly newsletter. I found this task easy and fun, and everyone really liked what I had written. Since then I’ve decided I want to be a writer, because writing is so enjoyable, and I actually seem to be good at it. Imagine that.

My current goal is to find a real job. Though it may be hard in today’s job market, I now have the much-needed confidence to move forward. I owe this all to the wonders of volunteering and opportunities it has given me to discover what was already within myself.

- Kelly Marie Lux

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