When Volunteerism Becomes Your Job…
© Lisa Stambaugh
But the last year introduced me a new and larger lifestyle as a "professional" volunteer. During this time, I've had the privilege to meet and know several people who are basically "employed" as volunteers... that is, they are members of service corps organizations, where they work for a minimal stipend, providing much needed social services, either at home or abroad. Generally, these are long-term commitments of one to two years, so not what many of us would consider to be a "career" position. But more people than I might ever have guessed, are now committing this sizeable chunk of time to "jobs as volunteers," and it provides a new meaning and dimension to their lives.
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Since October, 2001, I've been volunteering at Habitat for Humanity, participating in building three houses, just a couple of miles from my own comfortable home. While much of the work is done by volunteers, I did not realize until I joined, that a good deal of the labor and organizational work is provided by members of AmeriCorps. Our set of houses employed a half-dozen AmeriCorps members - all of whom had finished their undergraduate educations in the spring of 2001, and were taking this year to provide community service and re-group for graduate school and professional careers. Our houses are completed, with the dedication ceremony to be held in just two weeks, mid-June. The AmeriCorps students will complete their term of service this summer, and then move on to graduate school and other adventures.
Of course, knowing nothing of AmeriCorps before joining HFH, I learned all about it, as I worked alongside these motivated youngsters (I say youngsters: they were all in their early 20's, while I am of their parents' generation).
AmeriCorps is a network of national service programs that now engages more than 50,000 Americans per year in service to meet critical needs in our communities. These include programs supporting education, public safety, health, and the environment. AmeriCorps participants tutor and mentor youth, help build affordable housing (such as through HFH), teach computer skills, clean parks and streams, and help communities respond to disasters. Since 1994, more than 250,000 men and women have served in AmeriCorps, providing needed assistance to millions of Americans. AmeriCorps provides trained individuals to help nonprofit organizations accomplish more, and make more effective use of volunteers.
