It’s National Volunteer Week! As a volunteer, I feel compelled to write a few words about how rewarding and gratifying it is to invest my time in trying to make a difference.
As a tutor at Literacy Chicago, I have had the privilege of teaching countless people how to read, working to help them better their lives. From teaching someone to read the Bible so she can participate in services on Sundays with her family to enabling someone to help their child with their homework, I have met people from many walks of life, all of whom wanted to learn how to read for reasons that you and I naively take for granted.
During this week, I urge you to consider becoming a volunteer. Whether it is helping your local food pantry, serving at a nursing home or teaching a class at Literacy Chicago, I promise that you will find the experience life changing. With that said, I leave you with this quote:
“A volunteer is a person who can see what others cannot see; who can feel what most do not feel. Often, such gifted persons do not think of themselves as volunteers, but as citizens—citizens in the fullest sense: partners in civilization.” –Former President George H.W. Bush