One Lucky Girl
dissapointing volunteer organizations…
Leave a Comment
Some volunteer organizations dissapoint me. BBBS is one of them. Today, we closed the match and the only thing I got from the match specialist was an email with one sentence: we closed the match today. That was it. There was no thank you; no nothing else. WOW. This is what I get for volunteering with them for almost 5 years.
Now I don’t feel sorry for ending it. But you know what though, I think this particular match specialist is..umm.. what do you call it… not friendly!!!!! at all. Very dissapointing. The other match specialists I had in the past were so nice to me.
Anyways. No more spending money on craps anymore!!! Ending this activity will definitely saves me TONS of money each month.
no more volunteering
Leave a Comment
The match specialist from bbbs emailed me today and told me that my little sister+her mom were upset about the news I told them last week. Eh I am not too worry about it. Bottom line is I can’t volunteer anymore–no time and money anymore. Things are tight nowadays. And after much calculations, I did spend a ridiculous amount of time and money for my little sister. With my salary cut, new business, being pregnant, and home renovation projects… I hardly have the time and money anymore. It sucks yes but it is not just for one party only. I am suffering too. You think I took it lightly when they cut my pay? Hell no. It was a shitty paycut and I was terribly upset of course. And I pray everynight for God to bring me some financial miracles but do they come overnight? No. So anyways. No more volunteering for me for a while. I want to focus on my life and my family’s life. Get things back in order again. Give myself more time to relax.
that’s all folks….
Leave a Comment
Well. I finally told my little sister (from BBBS) that I wouldn’t be able to volunteer for her anymore. I am not sure how she felt–she is only 11. I don’t want to think she was sad. Although from the tone of her voice, she kinda didn’t like it when I broke her the news. Ididn’t go into much details of the reasonings behind it. I just told her that time is very limited nowaways for me–plus I am pregnant. I am on my last 2 months of pregnancy and I do not want to stress myself out with time management. I just want to relax. Plus, I need to really prepare for the baby emotionally and financially. I am too tired right now to do anything else but for myself. Oh well. I am sure my little sister will find someone else.
Also tonight, I wrote a letter for the agency where we are sponsoring the little boy from Guatemala telling them that we wouldn’t be able to sponsor the boy any longer.
Next year, I will not be volunteering with the other volunteer organization–the last one; the one that costs A LOT of money. And that would be it. I am going to take a break from my busy schedule. I want to enjoy my time with my baby and my husband. I’ll help at my neighborhood’s animal rescue but I think that’s about it. Maybe volunteer here and there at other places but I’d limit that too. From now on, I need to prioritize myself, my husband, and my baby.
the real cost of volunteering
Leave a Comment
I have been a volunteer for various organizations for years. One of them is the BBBS. I have been doing that for almost 5 years but sadly tonight I had to tell her I wouldn’t be able to volunteer anymore. Blame it on the bad economy.
My salary was cut by almost 30% few months ago. While we’re not suffering too, too, bad, we do need to buckle up our spending. On top of that I am currently expecting (7 months now). So, really, not a good time to take a paycut.
And not sure why but usually BBBS is pretty good about matching you up with someone who lives close by. In my case, my little sister lives on the other side of town. So that means, whenever I have to come pick her up, I have to make quite some drive time (more $ on gas). Then, most activities are NOT free. The library and the beach are free but they are faaaaaaaar, which translates to… more money spent on gas. Then there is food. Do this almost 3 times a month and that will really make a dent on your budget.
See, things like that I didn’t feel when my salary was 30% more than what I am getting today. I was fine. I’d pick her up almost every weekend to do fun stuff–roller skating, ice cream, movies, museums, etc. But now…. umm… I really can’t afford it.
I know I sound like the Grinch right now but I am just telling the truth. In average, I could spend between $30 – 40 per outing. Times 3, so about between $90 – 120 dollars a month. That’s a lot when you are watching every penny you spend.
The other bad news is I have to stop my sponsorhip to this one boy from Guatemala. For this one, we have been sending $30/month. The ironic thing is that we just got our first letter from him last week 
I really, really hate to do this but I have to. There is no room in our budget to spend $150 extra per month.
I think volunteering is a great thing but I am afraid until my household’s economy is fixed, I wouldn’t be able to volunteer with organization where I have to shell out some money Sad but this is tough economy we’re facing right now.
I applaud all volunteers out there. Those who sacrifice time and money for others. Hats off to you!!!
Rolling Dog Ranch Animal Sanctuary
Leave a Comment
I would like to dedicate tonight’s blog for one of my favorite animals sanctuaries, The Rolling Dog Ranch Animal Sanctuary. They are located in Montana. The ranch is a very special place for disabled animals. You;d think those disabled animals don’t deserve a good life? WRONG. At the Rolling Dog Ranch, they get second chances. The owners/founders of the ranch, Steve and Alayne, rescue disabled dogs, cats, horses and they even have goats!!! I swear, these couple are the true living Saint Francis. They have the biggest heart and love for animals. I truly admire the works they do. If only more people are like them, the world would truly be a much better place.
Being a huge animal lover, I have a special place in my heart for this sanctuary. Each month, I donate some money to the ranch. It’s not much but at least it’s the least I can do for them. I would love to do some volunteer works for them but I live too far away. I plan on visiting the ranch sometime next year when they are open for visitors. I might volunteer for a week there. It has been my dream to come visit the ranch someday.
I encourage you to visit their website to learn more about the sanctuary and also about disabled animals. Steve writes beautiful blog where he tells stories about the animals at the ranch. I read his blog everyday.
Here are the websites. Please visit and support the Rolling Dog Ranch Sanctuary!!
http://rollingdogranch.org/index.html
http://blog.rollingdogranch.org/
Lastly, I would like to close my entry tonight with a beautiful quote from Mahatma Gandhi:
Tags: animal sanctuary, animals, dogs, family, happiness, horses, life, love, mahatma gandhi, money, montana, rolling dog ranch animal sanctuary, volunteer
i love to volunteer!!!!!
1 Comment
Lots have been happening.
My internet connection was having a problem for a while. Not sure why but it seems to work ok now. Keep fingers crossed.
Husband’s grandma had a surgery on Monday to remove her colon tumor. Surgery went well and she is coming home today.
I have been volunteering a lot. I helped my animal rescue group transporting some stray cats to be spayed/neutered and I also helped this one elderly lady, Elizabeth, with her dog, Rounder. She needed someone to take her to the vet so I volunteered to do that. I made the appointment and I drove her there (with her dog). Her dog Rounder has a tumor. She is 15 years old. Elizabeth isn’t sure if she wants to put Rounder through surgery. Elizabeth is a very nice petite old lady. She lives in an apartment in my neighborhood by herself. She does not have children. I am not sure how old she is but she looks old. We had a lunch at McDonald’s right after vet visit and she told me that she used to be a model when she was younger. This lady knows style. She saw my handbag and she said to me, I like your handbag–Michael Kors handbag. I said well, I bought this a while bag not sure if they still have it but I will see if I can find something similar. That afternoon, I went to Marshall’s and I found her an Ettiene Agner bag for $24.99. It was a similar looking bag. Very, very similar. I was happy to find it. I went home and put it in a pretty gift bag and put some pink tissues in it. The next morning, I called Elizabeth and I told her I was coming to drop off something. I stopped by and I gave her the gift. She was SOOOOO happy!!!!!!!! I also brought Rounder some treats (I bought my dogs way too many treats). It felt good making someone else happy. When I went there, she asked me a favor. She needed to get Rounder some dog foods next week. She showed me the one she is using. Later that evening, I was browsing through the local grocery shopping weekly ad and I saw that they’re having sale on the dog food Elizabeth needs. So this morning I went ahead and bought 2 big bags. I also picked up 2 bags of cat litter for Elizabeth’s cats.
Well. That’s about it with me. Tomorrow I am going to go to the Catholic church and ask about volunteer opportunity with their Kitchen Soup.
I told Elizabeth I love to volunteer and if I could do it for living I would do it. She looked at me and said: you are such a joy.
That alone was worth every volunteering I have done in my life.
I told God, if he would trust me with winning a lottery jackpot, I’d quit my job so I can help other people. I’d work part time as a teacher–teaching kids to be good and kind to others. I’d do so many volunteer works my whole life. That’s my promise to God.
