What It Means to Be a Volunteer
I was asked by Charlottesville Business Innovation Council (CBIC) to share what being a volunteer means to me. Most of the time, it means working behind-the-scenes for the greater good, to be part of something that is bigger than you that’s changing the world or at least your part of it. You don’t do it for the recognition, but because you are passionate about the work. So being recognized as the 2016 Volunteer of the Year was an honor and icing on the cake of my volunteer experience with CBIC.
I started volunteering soon after my son was born because I found myself pretty disillusioned with corporate culture’s attitude toward motherhood, but I still wanted to be productive and part of something. For me, it started in my church doing things I was already comfortable with like web design and tech support. It blossomed into more meaty roles that took me out of my comfort zone like Executive Board Member for IMPACT and Mozilla Super Mentor & Club Captain.
I recently got to hear one of my tech heroes, Anita Jones, drop of some words of wisdom on young women attending the Capital Region Celebration of Women in Computing. I loved what she had to say about volunteering: its an opportunity where unforeseen doors may open and new skills can grow, but that "you always need to do the hard work, even when you are volunteering."
When I started volunteering with CBIC, I really dove into the deep end by taking on the Tech Tour chair responsibilities. I couldn’t have been successful without the awesome group of volunteers that have made up the Tech Tour Committee - Chris Engel, Jeff Faust, Jamie Foreman, DJ Hill, Michael Lake, Lianne Landers, Maria Lewis, Mike McPherson, Jason Ness, Michele Prysby, Andrew Renshaw, Jerry Reynolds, Miriam Rushfinn, Susan Stimart, and Jasmine Xiao!
While volunteering is about giving, it’s also about receiving. From my time with IMPACT, I gained my voice to speak out about the injustices I see in the world and my community like gender inequality. From my experiences with Mozilla, I’ve made global connections online and in person and been able to use my voice to advocate for web literacy for all. From my CBIC experience, I’ve gotten connected to the amazing tech community in Charlottesville who have in turn been critical to the founding and flourishing of Tech-Girl and Charlottesville Women in Tech (CWIT).
Since I first began volunteering regularly, I have transitioned from working gigs to full-time employment, but my love of volunteering has not diminished. As Adrian Felts writes in his blog post, The Intangible ROI of Community Involvement, volunteering is important to the well-being of employers, employees and the community.
Here are a few of the tech-related volunteer opportunities in our community and the people to contact if you'd like to learn more:
CBIC - Tracey Greene, [email protected]
CWIT - Kim Wilkens, [email protected]
Computers4Kids - Kelly Flynn, [email protected]
Girl Develop It - Ann Lewis, [email protected]