Have you ever volunteered? in 2019 Amazing Stories!

Guys, it got cold here real quick and in a hurry. It normally doesn’t get this cold this early. I think it reached low 40s last night. That ish is usually reserved for like December. I turned my heater on last night. I went to the Reign FC game against the Portland Thorns and shivered through the entire second half. But they won and are now headed to the playoffs! It was their last game of the regular season, so now I have to wait like 6 months before the next season starts.

I’m a little worried about how cold its getting so soon and my increased intolerance with the cold lol. I think I need to start seriously exploring volunteer opportunities. My weekends and weeknight evenings are about to be wide open because the increased darkness limits my normal outdoor recreational opportunities. So I come to PB to ask you this: Have you ever volunteered somewhere for fun, not because you had to? Or because you had to and it turned out to be really fun? I’m looking for opportunities that will feel like fun, not like I’m heading to a second job. I work a full time M-F 40 hour week, so the last thing I need is something that makes me feel like I’m attending a second job. I want something that I genuinely look forward to doing. And before anyone suggests it, humane societies/shelters are out of the question. I fall in love with each and every animal I meet, and I cannot separate myself from the emotions. Yes I’ve tried it. I had a brief (VERY brief) stint as a volunteer at the Virginia Beach SPCA years ago. The gentle old dogs tugged at my heart strings the most. Fostering is also out of the question. I am simply not allowed to do that where I live.

So I come to you ProseBox world with open ears to your experiences and suggestions. I also want to volunteer because one of the biggest reasons why when I originally tried to quit my job and gave them a 3 weeks notice, it was because I needed my coworkers not to hate me as much as possible because I’d need them for references. It would be nice not to have to depend on my coworkers at my current place of employment for references. I do have one person who used to work here who is fine with being a reference. I trust her. I tried asking one other person who has come and gone from the company, but he didn’t respond to me, so I’m taking that as a no. Granted, my coworkers are pretty happy with me at the moment, but still.

My job before my current job was at a movie theatre and I don’t really keep in touch with any of those people enough to use them as a reference. I tried using 2 people from my Navy days for my one interview I had on base here in WA a little over a year ago, but I’m not sure what they said and I’m hesitant to use them again. I know they contacted at least the one reference (the one chick who used to work where I work now who said I could use her) because she told me they called her and that she gave me a good review (and I believe her). The other 2 from my Navy days said not a peep. And honestly, I left the Navy in 2011, so those references would be outdated anyway. Can I just put “GUYS, I’M A REALLY HONEST AND HARD WORKING SOUL” in the references section of my resume. I mean I know a lot of people who would say that about me, but they are personal friends and acquaintances and not professional relationships.

I just want to feel useful and appreciated while building up relationships.