CCP Comics: What it REALLY means to volunteer?

Last Friday was Alternative Reading Week's (ARW) participant's orientation. As a project leader this year, I got to partake in this orientation from a whole different perspective and it has prompted me to think more deeply about what it truly means to volunteer. In contrast to the wide misconception that volunteering is about making change or "saving" people in a community that's in need, ARW teaches us what it really means to be a volunteer. It is about getting a better understanding of what is happening in a community, what is needed and how you are able to contribute to it. Most of the time, we go into volunteering with the mindset that we're making a big difference to whomever we are helping, however, we are the ones that usually receive the biggest reward from doing this. We aren't heroes, and at times I'm not even sure if we're that much of a help, but I do know why I volunteer and continue to do so with ARW. Through volunteering, you meet strangers who become your friends, you learn the most interesting things happening in communities that you'd never expect, and most of all, you are a better person because of it. I'll leave you to define what "better" means to you. As for me, I think I'm a more compassionate person after volunteering with ARW. Why do you volunteer? Comment below! 🙂