Ive volunteered constantly since fourteen, even for a large portion of a very severe illness. It is said. Women could be secretaries,, nurses, or elementary school teachers when I grew up. Doctor shows were popular and the UN was always on the air during the Bay of Pigs and Cuban Missle Crisis. I dreamed of being Florence Nightingale for my age. So I decided to combine my access to male doctors and UN obsession by being a nurse for the WHO. Only I was terrified of Africa. I became a candy striper. Teen age girls did simple grunt jobs and you were able to wear the coolest striped uniform with an actual hat. The outfit was the primary motivation. A scholarship to nursing school was available. I wanted to do a Ministry school stupid female sketch at a hospital setting so I could show off my uniform. My mom gently broke my heart. Adult men oooh and aahed over me in public for being a volunteer.
She said I would be severely criticized by the brothers and to never tell anyone at the KH. My maternal relatives were nut job Witnesses but would mind their own business. She was very proud of me. My father was annoyed to see my pride and happiness. B/c neither one of them would drive me through a rape prone park, I took three different buses to get to the hospital. He said charity began at home. I swore I would be charitable, just give me a list. He would be amazed, I would do thirty times more to keep my position and scholarship. He made me quit. I threw up before I called the director. It was a peak bad incident.
I volunteered at school and he never knew. Sneaking out b/hind his back, I volunteered for Eugene McCarthy, the only antiwar Democrat at that point. All I did was give out flyers but I felt important and there was great camraderie. When he died, I became active in a city wide student council, inflitrated by SDS and the Black Panthers. SDS used to drive me as my chaffeur all over the place. I continued to volunteer in progressive campaigns and travelled between NYC and DC frequently.
After college, I volunteered at the Anglican Cathedral in Manhattan and continue to campaign. When I became deathly ill, I had too much time alone so I commuted far to the cathedral and help with visitor services, playing a hostess. I became active in homeless ministries in two churches.
To be honest, my agenda was never pure. These were dating opportunities. They looked fantastic on applications for employment and school. My record of progressive volunteering helped me to receive a full merit scholarship to the 4th ranked law school.
Recently, I did legal volunteer work for a disability group. Selfishly, I received far more than I ever gave.
There is nothing I can say about the Witnesses that I haven't littered already. Decades later, it is a potent hurt. Every group I know, save the Witnesses, helps at least their own kind. The Mennonites here stick to themselves. They live in isolated pockets and number few. I read that they were almost executed by locals for giving food and shelter to dying British soldiers stuck behind enemies lines during Independence. Their charitable reach is global. Every little and immense Anglican church I've known has an outreach ministry where always more people volunteer than for church governance and liturgy. In my experience, the bias towards helping is to nonAnglicans. The Witnesses not taking care of their own kind and putting ridicule on the government that provides a safety net for Witnesses bothered my father more than any other point. He knew a lot of Bethel inside gossip.
My Newark, NJ congregation had about half of its members pioneering. There were foster mothers and AFDC mothers. Never took care of their kids. Many men were on disability. I may be wrong but I view this as government sponsoring religion through undeserved disability payments. If you can put in pioneer hours, you can work in the long run.
