What volunteer group do you contribute to?
Over the years, I have worked with a number of volunteer groups, including the American Littoral Society NE Chapter, National Park Service Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge and NYC Audubon. At the moment, I would say that I have been spending a lot more time with NYC Audubon than the other groups.
What type of volunteer activities have you done with this group, and for how long?
I have been a volunteer for NYC Audubon for a number of years and have contributed my time to a number of projects ranging from birdwatching trips, planting, coastal cleanups, manning the Audubon booth during Earth Day, etc. Of all the projects that I worked on, I especially enjoyed the ones that involve bird walks or planting.
Why did you get involved? What motivates you to volunteer with this group?
I am a gardener and birder, so I would say getting involved with Audubon was out of my love for ornithology and botany. My motivation lies with common interests. Audubon has been a leader in a number of conservation projects such as ecosystem restoration and bird conservation; these are all initiatives that I am interested in and I am only too grateful to be able to participate in whatever way I that I can. It also helps when you are interacting with terrific folks and the staff at NYC Audubon are a great bunch.
Why does volunteering excite you? What do you get out of volunteering?
I was raised in a family that encouraged volunteerism. Whether it was painting the Church, or participating in clothing or food drives, there was always something that my parents were involved in helping others and that has a lot to do with the way I view volunteering.
I think volunteering could be viewed as way of positive psychology. When I contribute my time to help others, I am not only raising someone else’s spirit or doing something good for the environment and others, but I am also doing something positive for myself… uplifting my spirit. There is a quote from Margaret Mead about how a small group of thoughtful citizens can change the world. It is one of my favorite quotes and when I volunteer, I look at my volunteerism as sort of “drip” effect. If enough people came out and put their time to good use such as volunteering for a good cause, then the drip adds up into drips which in turn could be viewed as a rainfall and soon a flood of goodwill will eventually make a difference (you get the picture). There is no other way to describe it, I just love to volunteer! Knowing that I may have made a worthwhile contribution…that type of gratification is priceless!!!
What would you say to other people who are thinking about volunteering with this group?
I love working with Audubon…my experience has been great. A lot of what Audubon does is beneficial to our planet overall, so even if one is not really into birds there is so much more to get involved with. Along the way you get to meet great people, which will help your own growth.
What would you say to people who are thinking about volunteering in general?
Volunteering should be a way of life! It is just a great way of giving back to your community, to the environment...a great way of doing something positive. Sometimes it easier to say what should be done rather than actually doing it, but just think how different it may feel knowing that you were part of the solution and acted instead of just thinking about it. You are also giving yourself something because volunteering is also a great way to experience doing new things and meeting new people. I have met a number of wonderful people, like my friend Doris Harris who I spend time with volunteering at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. I refer to Doris as the most conscientious birder that I have ever met because she walks with garbage bags on bird walks and is always cleaning up debris. Don Riepe, the Jamaica Bay Guardian, who I have volunteered with in cleanups, banding Barn Owls and repairing nest boxes, spends countless hours on a number of projects including ensuring that the Osprey nests are sturdy in Jamaica Bay. These are just some examples of the people who I have met along the way while volunteering that I find to be inspirational and reinforces for me why volunteering should be a way of life!