My Nonprofit Reviews

#MyGivingStory Growing up I spent a lot of time outside with no one to really guide me. I climbed lots of trees, but never bothered to learn the names of the trees. I picked lots of flowers, but never learned the names. I caught lizards, frogs, bugs and bees (that probably wasn't very smart), but again I simply enjoyed them for a bit and moved on. Now, as an adult I have the pleasure of working for a wonderful non-profit Earth Discovery Institute earthdiscovery.org. It gives me the opportunity to share my love of teaching and working with kids while helping them learn all the facts and bits of info I missed as a kid. The best part of my job is that I bring my family to volunteer at almost every event. That might not seem like a big deal to some people, but if you have ever asked a teenager what they want to do early on a Saturday morning, cleaning graffiti off rocks or cleaning trash off hiking trails probably isn't the number one answer. I cannot afford to donate much money back to my organizations efforts so instead I give them my time and more importantly my family time. The time that we have spent together cleaning, scraping and building on the land has helped us build a bond that is much more important to me than anything I could get back in return. My kids go willingly and ask ahead of time what we will be working on. They have logged hundreds of hours of community service for school and college, but the time they have spent working side by side with their dad and I is the thing I am most proud of. At a time when most kids barely talk to their parents I am happy to cherish every moment with mine while teaching them the importance of volunteering and stewardship. Giving to your community means so much more when you realize what it gives you back.