Volunteering in a New Community

One of the biggest things I miss from home is volunteering. I had some organizations that I really loved and that gave me something to look forward to other than schoolwork. Finding somewhere to volunteer in my new home has been a priority to me. I feel that volunteering will help me connect with my new community, and it will also allow me to meet people outside of my classes. First, I had to decide if I wanted to volunteer in an OT-realm or in some other interest; however it is hard to find something OT can’t be applied to. OT experiences are still important to have, but not as important as they were to get into OT school. Before OT school, I did some volunteering in OT realms and some not in OT realms, and I decided to the same here ideally. First, I tried to be child advocate in the court system, but my local agency was horrible about answering my questions. I accidently applied to be one a few counties away and they were excellent, so it is hit and miss. I decided I wanted to be part of a community that wanted me, so I did not pursue that opportunity. Next, my school offered the chance to be part of Miracle League. This is an adaptive baseball team. They have competitive and non-competitive teams, but I will be part of the non-competitive league. This requires a commitment of eight Saturdays, but I think I will enjoy it. It starts Saturday so we will see how it goes. I think I still want to find something that is not directly related to OT. I originally wanted to volunteer in the education field, but what I have found looks like it would require more time commitment than I currently have available. I am considering donating some of my time to the locate food bank. I feel  like I can make a regular commitment there and I will get new experiences. We will see how it pans out.