University Bits Cite

Volunteer is for free

  I just had one of my happiest volunteer day today. I am sure doing volunteer makes me happy and I don’t need to get any reward for it to make it worth while.

It was boring for the most part, just like usual. But today, the pager mission ( volunteers at the ER department are required to respond to pages from our coordinator to do various jobs) was quite special. I was just supposed to accompany this lady to the cafeteria from her husband’s hospital room to the cafeteria to buy dinner. It is quite some walk, but today was slow, I really didn’t mind having something to do.

  She’s a lovely lady. Probably has a little bit of phobia for being in the elevator alone. There’s no way to avoid the elevator ride since her husband’s bed is at 9th floor. So, at 5pm, I went to help. We went do Jim Pattison cafeteria, She took sometime to decide what she wanted to eat. Then we’re heading back again. Everything is just same as always, till the elevator doors opened at 9th floor, she reached out and put something into the pocket of my volunteer vest. I looked down and saw a toonie. Immediately, I took it out and stuffed it right back into her hand. Her hand is warm and soft with wrinkles caused by her age. “I can’t take this, you don’t need to give me anything, I’m just volunteering” I said. She insisted and stuffed it deeper into my picket this time so that I had to pull out all the stuff to take the toonie out and give it back to her. Thoughts rushed through my mind: ” I can’t take this, I’m here to help, I don’t want reward” , ” I’m doing this out of goodness, out of passion for people, I shouldn’t accept gifts, it’s more than enough to just be appreciated”,  “it doesn’t hurt to get a little something out of this”, ” I don’t think we’re allowed”, ” what would others have done?”…

  I went with my belief, I didn’t take it. I hugged her, she kissed me on the cheek and said thank you. I left after saying goodnight. I told her, “im doing this out of goodness from my heart, I just wanted to help.” totally cheesy lol, I don’t know if I had said it in the best way I could have, but she seemed to like me a lot : ). It’s worth everything, the kind of smile you get from people that you’ve helped, it’s priceless. I mean who wouldn’t wanna take that toonie and buy herself a “chocolate bar” like that lady had suggested. But volunteers are only volunteers when they don’t ask for or take anything for their service. I value this. To me, the happiness the person helped got from my help is way more important and is my motivation to continue this. Oh, God, I just love helping people!  ( LOL I can’t believe this can come out so cheesy!).

  On the walk back to the ER department after I left the lady, the question of what I want to become popped into my mind again. Stressful thoughts about how I must ace the finals came up.  It’s suffocating to think I can’t get into anything health care related or anything I can help people’s lives. I really think I should meet up that city councillor, maybe get an intern job at the city hall or something…. I’m almost home. Talk to you later!