I work with personal training clients, I coach my swimmers,
I study different books, I am exploring different hobbies with my newly
acquired free time. While these activities make up a good portion of my week
and they are enjoyable and make up my life there is one hour each week that
stands above the rest.
On and off for almost a year now I spend my Tuesday nights
volunteering with the YMCA Challenger program as a buddy helping with various
sports. Out of everything that happens in my week this is the best thing I can
do. Through Challenger I have been fortunate enough to get to know a lot of
young people with physical and or mental impairments and help them play sports
and have fun while doing it. The most important aspect is that the athletes
have fun, and I don’t think I have ever seen an athlete leave unhappy.
No matter how my day or week has been I look forward to
Tuesday nights. I look forward to the smiles and happy faces of the kids given
an opportunity to play a sport they enjoy with friends. Tonight we were in the
second week of our bowling program, and the pins were flying. Earlier in the
summer I helped with baseball, and last fall was tennis. The sports create a strong
community for kids who might not have gotten a chance to participate otherwise.
I write this post as words of encouragement to promote
volunteerism of any kind to help something that is close to you. I have chosen
to donate an hour of the week to Challenger, you may choose to help other
charities, any amount of help is appreciated. Realize that you always have
something to give even if you don’t have the monetary resources to do so. I don’t
have the money to give a lot yet but when I do, it will be given to others who
need it in my community. Giving your time is a valuable option and it allows
you to gain a perspective you might have missed in your life journey thus far.
Just my one hour a week has helped me create friendships and help others, this
is truly the best thing I can do all week.
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