Lending A Hand

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17 December 2009 211 views 7 Comments

1201Toys For the third year in a row I’ve been helping out during the holidays at the Yonge Street Mission, a Christian based non-profit organization helping under privileged families in Toronto since 1896. My experience volunteering at YSM is always enriching and lots of fun. You’re always treated with respect and shown love by the staff and the program participants. Every year I’ve helped out with a different activity, this week I happened to help out with the Toy Market, which is basically a toy store (donation based and free of charge to recipients) where parents go to select toys for their children. Parents chose a main toy, games, puzzles, stocking stuffers and of course books. My job as a volunteer is to basically help parents select the right toys, converse and follow them around with a big red Santa bag filled with the toys they select. I began to get jealous of some of these kids by the end of the night…I pick a good gift dammit!

I felt an overwhelming desire a few years back to give back to the community, as opposed to throwing a monetary donation in an envelope, as I once was a recipient of annual Christmas hampers filled with donated toys and clothing.

I’ll be honest, I always felt like a second class citizen as I opened a box filled with the annual Christmas Rudolph the cocaine sorting red-nose reindeer sweatshirt and those bright red funky Christmas socks but I was not going to tell my moms that I wasn’t going to wear that shit on Christmas…don’t let Asian mothers fool you, that is all I will say.

And I made sure to use everything in that hamper…everything. You just do that in secret but you would never tell anyone at school about the hampers, oh hell no, nor did you wear any of the Christmas cheer crap- beat down.

I’ll be back on my volunteer grind next week and I can’t wait. It’s so refreshing to speak with people who are not obsessed with getting the latest gadgets from the Apple store or who complain about the long line ups at Wal-mart. Many of these parents (mainly immigrant families) were concerned with selecting toys and games that fostered logic and strategic thinking. If you have children I hope you carefully select toys that encourage your child to push beyond the basic curriculum requirements.

I also wanted to take pics, but I got so busy…maybe next week!

At this time of the year, try to think of others who may not have it as good as you and yours. There are reports that Food banks are experiencing shortages this year…do you really need that can of baked beans and pork? Do you? I challenge GI readers to give something to someone less fortunate this week. Please? Love you!

Do you get your non-profit volunteer hustle on? If so, when? How often? Tell me about it. If not, what’s up with that?

Charity work is the new sexy,

Goddess Intellect

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7 Comments »

Je'TaraSpeaks said:

It is the new sexy!! I think I may volunteer on Christmas also. Really excited about doing so.

[Reply]

goddessintellect Reply:
December 18th, 2009 at 6:55 am

whoohoo! Let me know how that goes Je’Tara.

[Reply]

# 17 December 2009 at 11:49 pm

Nik said:

I think what you’re doing is great and your heart is in the right place because you’ve been there. I applaud you for that.

I worked as a community support worker/counsellor in my last job at a non-profit organization. Amazing how many kids we fed from Mon.-Fri. I wondered how they managed the days we were closed due to lack of staffing and on weekends. I approached grocery stores and begged for their day old baked goods and started loading up my poor car every friday with the help of my bro and bffs. So many families profited from that program. I felt horrible when I was forced to move locations and had to stop.

I wish more people of color would volunteer, so many little ones there who need that positive role model who look like them, someone they can aspire to be like. I’d love to see more teenaged and adult Black males volunteering in non-profit orgs. Keep up the good work Goddess and sorry for the long rant. I’m passionate damn it!

[Reply]

goddessintellect Reply:
December 18th, 2009 at 6:57 am

From reading your blog I knew you had worked in non-profit sector so I’m glad you could share your passion on this post! I think working in the non-profit sector is very rewarding but must be draining at times.
I know I was wiped out after my one little session.

[Reply]

# 18 December 2009 at 2:55 am

Roderick said:

Do you get your non-profit volunteer hustle on?.. Love the way you put that..

I help run a non profit down here… Campaign 4 Change (www.c4c4life.com)…

And ever year we dress up as Santa and his elves and deliver presents to various low income housing communities in our area.. Its a great experience.. I think we always need to get our non profit volunteer hustle on….

Its always better to give than receive