Volunteering - Not as Easy as You Think

Many retirees want to "give back" and see the volunteer sector as a good place to do that.  For many, the perception may be that if they just show up, the organization of their choice will jump at the chance to have them as a volunteer.  However, the reality of modern day volunteering may present them with quite a shock.  Why so? 

First of all, they may discover that, instead of welcoming them with open arms, there is a selection process in place that involves an application, reference checks, and an interview.  That almost sounds like the workplace they have just left!  In some instances, this process may lead to rejection as a candidate.  I know because that happened to me.  I went through the process for an organization that I thought was a perfect fit for me.  They didn't agree.  I got screened in at the application stage, went to the interview, and then received a rejection letter.  I was devasted because I had never for a moment thought that I wouldn't be given one of the 20 slots (out of 50 people being interviewed).  To make matters worse, I then found myself wondering what it was they didn't like about me. 

Secondly, let's suppose that the person does get through the recruitment process and is assigned a role.  Many organizations do ask for a time commitment, say six months or a year.  I volunteered at our local hospital and, based on a discussion with the Volunteer Coordinator, was given an assignment (one afternoon per week) on the Continuing Care ward.   As a home-based business person, I wanted more social contact and told the Volunteer Coordinator this.  My assignment sounded promising except that the other volunteers that were supposed to work with me, either didn't show up or quit.  I ended up working alone.  Also, for some reason I still don't understand, the hospital staff, including the nurses, were quite unfriendly.  None of them even remembered my name, even though I was on their ward an afternoon a week for a year.  I did enjoy helping patients with lunch and socializing with them but in the end I did my one year stint and then decided that it wasn't for me.  Of course, one of the nice things about being a volunteer is that you can quit if you decide it just isn't working.

So...some advice.  Think carefully about what kind of volunteering you want to do, identify what your expectations are, check out the relevant organizations carefully, and realize, that if they do have a selection process in place, you just might be screened out.  In the end, one of the luxuries retirees have is time and if this time can be dedicated to the volunteer sector, it can be a win win situation so go for it with your eyes wide open.

Researching Family History

My husband's father spent a number of years in retirement researching his family's history.  He left behind when he passed away, a large database of information.  When my husband retired, he picked up the torch and has done more research using several internet-based genealogical sites to assist in the process.  On our recent trip to Ireland, we visited the small town where both his father's parents came from, Lorrah.  It's fine to have a detailed database of dates of birth and death and marriage, but it made this history seem so much more real to walk on the main street, visit the postmistress for a short discussion on whether there were any Conroys left, and to see the four historic religious buildings in town (in varying states of decline), one of which dates to 540 AD!

Through his research, my husband has discovered a number of cousins, one in California, one in Tennessee and one in Northern Scotland, that he now keeps in touch with.  No wonder so many people as they move into later life and retirement, place a priority on doing this kind of research.  It involves challenges, mysteries, great finds, and maybe even new friendships.  Best of all, once documented, the output can be shared with anyone who has an interest in the family and provides the next generation with a sense of where they have come from.

Maintaining Friendships

Further to an earlier post, I wanted to report on our recent trip to Ireland.  We attended the wedding of a good friend's daughter in Clifden, Ireland.  We made the decision to do so based on the long standing friendship between my husband and his friend, Hugh.  They attended the University of BC together and have remained good friends every since.  We had a wonderful time in Ireland, spending most of the week in the Clifden area.  Ballynahinch Castle Hotel was amazing (see photo), and it was wonderful to have a chance to meet so many of the attendees at the wedding over the weekend at the hotel.  We also were able to spend high quality time with our friends.

The night before returning from Ireland, we stayed at an airport hotel.  In the dining room, who did we run into but the newly married couple!  It was a good chance to talk with the newlyweds post the event.  Hugh's daughter made a point of letting us know how happy her father was that we had come and that it meant alot to him that we had attended the wedding.

Research confirms that having strong social networks among family and friends is correlated with being happy in retirement.  This means being prepared to give people a priority.   In attending Hugh's daughter's wedding, we were putting this principle into practice.