I have had a lot on my mind lately concerning the American lifestyle. I live what I consider a good life for the following reasons:
I have a job that allows me to pay for my needs while providing some discretionary income
I am able to live in my own apartment
I am able, due to my financial situation, to spend many hours a week on my hobbies
I am fortunate enough to have a strong support network through friends
Once per year I travel out of the country to explore a new destination
If I become injured, I have insurance to help me cover the costs
I own a car (with dents and all)
I feel like my needs are covered
I bring up this list because lately I have felt a lot of guilt due to my easy lifestyle. I don’t believe that my life is extraordinary, but rather that I am very fortunate to live in the country that I do and have the opportunities that are presented to me. I truly feel like anything is possible, and it makes me think of the people who are barely able to survive.
The tricky part is I sincerely do not know the best way to go about making a huge difference. Sure I try to volunteer on a weekly basis, but there are some major atrocities taking place in the world and I want to know how I can make a positive impact. Do I quite my job and move to another country to volunteer “in the trenches”? Do I donate money to organizations already in place? Do I create or be involved with organizations that get the word out to people? Do I become politically involved? I truly don’t know.
Perhaps the solution is different for each social ill. And perhaps I just need to find one issue and focus on it. I just catch myself really feeling guilty sometimes that I have been born into the life that I have been given. It has hiccups for sure, but in comparison to the millions of people without in the world I feel pretty damn lucky. And I feel like I need to return the karma and give back, but have yet to conclude the best method of contributing.
I genuinely contemplate this at least a couple times a week. Any ideas from you readers would be most appreciated.
I have blogged a couple times concerning donating blood as a form of service. Yesterday I donated and made another appointment in order to start a trend of donating as often as possible (the allowance being every 56 days). While at ARUP, I learned some new information on whole blood versus platelets as ARUP takes donations of both. The girls who helped me stated that there is a need for both and that their supply never exceeds the local demand, but platelets short lifespan can result in platelets being needed more frequently.
The platelets are what makes blood clot and are needed by cancer patients, transplant (organ and bone marrow) patients, plus others. Whereas whole blood can be frozen, platelets can only be used up to five days as they will actually start to clot together.
Another interesting fact is since a platelet donation only removes part of the blood with all other components being restored to the donor, donations can be made 24 times a year rather than six times a year with whole blood.
I try to volunteer once per week (though I have been on a small hiatus) as a way to try and keep my priorities in order. Upon learning about platelet donations I started contemplating integrating this activity into my life. I am still pondering the subject as it does mean sitting with a needle in my arm for an hour and half time period every other week, but I do like that it is a form of service with a huge impact, which sometimes is hard to find.
The Red Cross released an article in the Salt Lake Tribune last week stating that donations of blood are low during the summer months and requesting blood donations. I would encourage all my friends to call 1-800-Give-Life and make an appointment to donate as giving blood is the easiest form of service with a huge impact.
Hey fellow climbers! If you have ever in your life used a bolt or pre-placed anchor, I would urge you to come support the Salt Lake Climber’s Alliance in their annual fundraiser comp and party. Not only will it be a ton of fun with a DJ, food from Ricos, lots of beer and tons of schwag, but all the proceeds will help with bolt and anchor replacement in our local canyons.
Date: Thursday, May 3 Time: Comp goes from 4:30 – 7:30 and party starts at 7:00 and goes until the beer runs out. Yes… this does mean you can start drinking while finishing up climbing. Where: The Front Climbing Gym at 1450 South 400 West Cost: $30 for Comp and Party (however, you get $5 off for pre-registering and $5 off if you are a Front member). $15 for party only ($5 off for pre-registering and the Front is covering the cost for all their members). $10 for spectator passes. Register at www.frontslc.com
Even if you can’t make it, please consider donating through the above link. There isn’t a donation box, but you can just purchase a comp or party ticket even if you won’t be there.
Thanks for your support and for keeping climbing safe!
I am not going to lie…. hearing the KCPW pledge drive on the radio drives me crazy! However, due to the pledge drive I get to participate in one of the best volunteer experiences of the year. You wouldn’t think that answering phones to take pledges would be so enjoyable, but it is. It actually might be my favorite volunteer gig because the people who work and volunteer at a public radio station pledge drives are usually well informed people with passion for changing the world. Every time I volunteer I meet the most interesting people and learn about new organizations and ideas.
If you haven’t pledged to KCPW before (or if you are already a member), I would urge you to support the programming through this drive. You can pledge by calling 801-359-5279 or by pledging online.
Or, if you want to have the best volunteer experience of your life, fill out this online form to get involved.
Ten Thousand Villages has found a new location as the Sugarhouse area will soon be going under some construction. Please note that the new location is 1941 E 1100 South and that they will make the move within the next couple months. In the meantime, please visit them in their normal location next to Fat’s Grill.
Yesterday I volunteered at Ten Thousand Villages. With the cyclical nature of retail, it has been quite slow in the store so it was nice that we were sending out the quarterly newsletter as I stamped a bazillion newsletters while running the register.
Last night as I was leaving, the volunteer coordinator said, “It was great working with you.” I have noticed that every time I leave the store, my fellow workers will state very similar comments and it is such a relief to be leaving a work environment with so much positive energy. The best part is I know they are genuine when they say these comments, and I in return honestly have a great time working with them.
I was thinking about this over the weekend. Can I implement this positive enthusiasm into my career? I think that if I stated such a quote every time I left work for the day, people might starting looking at me like I am crazy. However, perhaps I can implement it in other ways. Perhaps I need to just say ‘thank you’ more often when someone helps me on a project, smile and laugh more in the office (I am usually very serious while at work, which is completely out of my character) and then occasionally tell people, “It was great working with you today.”
It’s funny how simple it sounds, but how rare it is to hear this in the work place. The funniest thing is these little simple things make the biggest difference. After having a long week that included a car accident, this simple statement by the volunteer coordinator at Ten Thousand Villages completely turned my week around. Thank you.
I volunteer a couple hours every week. This morning I worked on a Valentine’s project with KCPW and Liberty Heights Fresh that entailed consumers purchasing flowers and chocolates, provided by Liberty Heights Fresh, through KCPW with the profits being given back to the public radio station. I went at 7:45am this morning to drive and deliver flowers, but was instead placed in the refrigerated trailor tying bows on the flower boxes. I worked with three great women and we were able to accomplish quite a bit in the period that I was there.
I started volunteering for the reason that that it would look good on my resume, no joke. Horrible reason, I know, but it is the truth. I now volunteer because I love it. It is easy to believe that there isn’t time to give, but it is amazing how it really is always possible to squeeze in a couple hours during the week. Not only do I feel good when I am done volunteering, but I meet the most amazing people every time I volunteer.
My favorite places to volunteer on a regular basis include: - KCPW – KCPW is one of the local public radio stations that also broadcasts NPR and the BBC news. This might be my favorite volunteer opportunity as I have met so many great, knowledgeable people through their fundraising projects (pledge drives, Farmer’s Market, Valentine’s Day special with Liberty Heights Fresh). It seems that the people who listen to public radio, like myself, are adamont to keep it alive. - Ten Thousand Villages – Ten Thousand Villages is a fair trade organizations that pays artisans a fair wage in advance of receiving products. The whole store is ran by volunteers and managed by two full time employees. The products are absolutely fantastic, plus you can know that the artisan was paid fairly.
I am currently working on another project with the Salt Lake Climber’s Alliance which is organizing their main fundraiser climbing comp. This project has been great so far as not only have I met a bunch of people in the outdoor industry, but also because I can support the sport that I so adore.
I heard of another great idea as I listened to a podcast yesterday on Wikipedia. The CEO brought up a good point that everyone who edits or adds information to Wikipedia is essentially a volunteer. I hadn’t even thought of that, but it is completely true. What a great, philanthropic volunteer experience! I think I will look into this next to see if there is any knowledge that I can add.
