Why I Volunteer

I get it. You work 40-50 hours each week, have a family (or a very busy social life in my case), and on top of all of that, you attempt to hit up the gym to work off all of those adult beverages you drank last weekend. The last thing you want to do with the little bit of spare time you have is do more work…. especially for free.

Luckily, I haven’t had any real hardships in my life so far. I’ve never had to worry about having enough money for food or making sure I can take my sick parent/sibling/relative to their doctor appointments. Growing up, I never thought I was lucky or privileged. Why would I? Everyone I spent time with was just like me… and then my moms best friend was diagnosed with a brain tumor.

I won’t go into detail about the hundreds of doctor appointments, surgeries, tears, and uncertainties because it would take too long and it isn’t the reason why I’m writing this blog. Long story short, because of her, I started volunteering each week at Gilda’s Clubhouse. Gilda’s Clubhouse is a non profit cancer organization that helps ANYONE that has or is affected by cancer. This place has changed my entire outlook on life and made me fully aware of how lucky I truly am. Volunteering without someone making you do it, is an indescribable feeling.

So next time you think that having a broken hair straightener or ringing a bell outside of a grocery store during the winter is the end of the world, just remember that someone out there is on their way to their chemo appointment or wondering if they’ll have enough money to afford groceries for the week.

So why do I volunteer? To help people that are financially less fortunate than me, help make people that are suffering from cancer aware of places like Gilda’s Club know they have somewhere safe they can go to, be constantly reminded of how lucky I am and because it makes my heart feel SO damn good.

Click this link for more information on what Gilda’s Clubhouse is and what services they offer. http://www.gildasclubtwincities.org/ 

-Ashley