Stacy Ashton knew – from experience and reports - that retirees were volunteering and she wanted to engage more of them.
First, though, she needed to learn from retirees what motivated them to volunteer and what they enjoyed in their volunteer activities.
Stacy is the Executive Director of Community Volunteer Connections, and together with the Ali Parendeh, set out to talk to retirees to find out what motivates them to volunteer in community activities.
They sat down with a group of retirees, some actively involved in volunteer and other hoping to volunteer, to talk about Volunteering After Retirement.
It was an inspiring conversation.
CVC heard that volunteering brings meaning to the lives of volunteers; connects them with their community; helps them learn new skills and hone existing ones; and is a rewarding way to spend time and is, for many retiree volunteers, what helps them thrive in this new phase of their lives.
And retiree after retiree remarked on how volunteering helped make the transition from working life to retirement into an enriching one. The benefits of volunteering were often more significant and surprising than expected:
“My volunteering reminded me of a story of a friend whose niece had headaches and finally got glasses. When she came home that first day, she saw the Fraser River for the first time.”
“You are going down a corridor, that is your life. But when you go into your self (through volunteering) you see that who you thought you were is not who you are. I thought I was an animal person because I worked on a farm. Then I thought I was a plant person because I worked in a greenhouse. Now I know I am a people person because that’s how I volunteer.”
“I went to Swaziland for 13 weeks and stayed for 6 months.”
That is a surprise.
Volunteers consistently spoke about how – contrary to popular expectations about “charitable” work – the experience of volunteering didn’t actually feel selfless or sacrificing. Instead, volunteers talked about how participating and leading community events helped them learn about themselves and brought “greater depth” to their lives.
For retirees, volunteering is a way to help others, yes, but also a way to stay connected to their communities – all while expanding their personal horizons and deepening their capabilities, too.
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It’s that unexpected that always gets me in volunteering. I volunteered tending bar at intermission at a play on Granville Island, and because one of the sponsors was Ginch Gonch, I got free undies as a token of appreciation (sweet!). I volunteer at the Royal City Humane Society, and I knew I’d like hanging out with cats, but I didn’t know there was so much to learn about feline health, about feral cats, about the great work some of our local homeless shelters have been doing in being pet-friendly, so having a pet isn’t a barrier to getting off the street.
The world is an interconnected place, and every experience enriches every other experience you have in life. That’s my favourite thing about volunteering.