Why I volunteer

“I have volunteered for the Boys and Girls Club in Manhattan, Houston and now Cleveland. The common threads running through all three clubs are an institutional dedication to the betterment of communities and the youth within them, as well as hundreds of youth members learning to find the gold within themselves. As a graduate student studying social work I’ve seen the long arm of The Boys and Girls Club reach above and beyond to offer services of all sorts to youth in need. As a member of the community I’ve seen and positively interacted with diverse groups of individuals with whom I would not normally have a chance to interact. As a 34 year old citizen of a world with increasing uncertainty and a diminishing sense of hope, I’ve felt revivified by the positivity and bright future-making the Club offers its members. And as a volunteer I’ve felt embraced and enmeshed into this culture of helping by the staff around me, finding a sense of satisfaction within myself incomparable to most work I’ve undertaken over the years. These are the reasons I volunteer. “

-Geoff Auerbach, Akron