I LOVE birthdays! Especially milestone birthdays. Today I turn 39 which means that next year I'm Over the Hill? Whatever! I think life just keeps getting better the older (and wiser) I get. Ten years ago, I started my Thirty by 30 project where I blogged about 30 good deeds/volunteer moments that I participated in before I turned the big 3-0. I'm bringing it back, baby! Forty by 40 is here and I'm really excited about it. I'm in a very different place in my life than I was 10 years ago and being a social work graduate student, my eyes are open to the truly incredible volunteer opportunities here in Idaho. Last time I was living in Nashville, Tennessee where they had the amazing website Hands On Nashville that made finding volunteer opportunities a breeze. I'm still trying to figure out how to bring something like this to the Treasure Valley, but until then, I have to find my volunteer opportunities the old fashioned way--word of mouth and looking at non-profits' websites. If you are reading this and you know of any organizations that can use an extra volunteer, let me know! I'm open to ideas.
I'm doing this for educational purposes--yours and mine. If I have learned anything in my life it is that you cannot comprehend other peoples' lived experiences unless you listen to them. Volunteering makes us more compassionate human beings and I know that there are a lot of people out there who would love to find ways to help out, but don't know where to start. I urge you that, if any of the things I write about interest you, please reach out to me, the organization, or whatever to learn more.
