by Joyce M. George-Knight

Created on: February 08, 2010   Last Updated: February 09, 2010

It was November, 2003 when the Human Resources Director called me into his office and I was released from my legal assistant position. Because of the problems I'd experienced, he had held off for as long as he could before breaking the news to me.  You see, my husband had passed away just shy of three years earlier. In 2002, I had major surgery, which removed cancer cells. Then, my son was hospitalized with a dissected aortic aneurysm and required emergency bypass surgery in Spring of 2002. Nevertheless, the news of my being laid off was a shock. After a few weeks on Unemployment Insurance, I contacted a volunteer organization, that quickly taught me the value of volunteering my time.

Being unemployed at the age of 55 was a frightening experience. Not only that, but I felt unwanted when my dozens of letters and resumes went unanswered. What a demoralizing experience. I knew that I had to keep up my self-esteem and confidence, but that wasn't going to occur while sitting at home. Volunteering for an organization that supported children and families, who were experiencing illness and death of a sibling or parent, directed my focus toward those with more difficult times than my own.

Because I'd never had reason to input data into a data base, I learned a new skill. Yes, it was boring work, but it was only part of my tasks. The data was a necessity for the continuation of the organization as it was required in order to produce reports for its Board of Directors. Therefore, the seemingly mundane work was crucial for the future financing and continuation of the programs that supported hurting families. Another thought that made the work less tedious was that I was learning a new skill that could be valuable in future employment.

For an entire year, I "worked" at my volunteer position, while still sending out letters and resumes, as well as going on job interviews. Since it was volunteer and the Director knew of my job search, I worked around the interview commitments. The end result was that the attorney, who hired me, stated how impressed he was that I used my unemployed time in such a worthwhile and constructive manner. It was part of the reason he selected me over other candidates.

Now, as a retiree, I volunteer for six hours, three days a week, at a church office and one day at a cancer support center. The "thank-you" as I hand out food to unemployed and street people, the elderly who come in to chat  because they are lonely and the cancer patients, who are in the state of shock and come to the center to talk about their fears, all make me feel like the most blessed person on earth.

When you hear others say that they "get far more out of giving than they give," believe it.

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