Special prize for sharing your volunteering experiences

Our good friend and former editor of our companion e-zine, RV Lifestyles, has donated three copies of RV Traveling Tales as prizes for the first three people to complete their own story about volunteering on the road. See directions at the end of this entry.

I also blog on another site, My Mobile Home Space. I did a column about volunteering and asked Stephanie for some photos. In lieu of the money that was due her from the site, she's offering it to some of our readers. Here's a reprint of what I wrote along with some of her photos:

Volunteering Can Save Money While Traveling

Many RVers feel so fortunate to have the opportunity to travel after a lifetime of working hard that they want to give back in some way. They choose to volunteer their services. An added bonus in these days of high fuel prices is that they can save money doing so.

Although they don't get paid, they often receive free or inexpensive sites to park their RVs. By staying in one place, they save money on fuel. Another by-product is the friendships they make working side by side with other volunteers. Stephanie and Paul Bernhagen volunteered many times with Habitat for Humanity, building homes with other volunteers and the needy families who were the recipients.

The volunteer RVers are called RV Care-A-Vanners. Stephanie kindly furnished photos from some of their builds. Many of them, especially the women, start out with no experience, but they learn on the job. By the end of the build they are empowered by the results of their work.

You too can volunteer as you travel. Tom and Nancy Vineski volunteer in public campgrounds. Tom (RV Lifestyles columnist) describes his reaction  this way: "We've had a very blessed life on the road and feel it is important to share wherever we can. We feel good about whatever we do, but the benefits go beyond ourselves. It takes many caring communities to build a world we can all be proud to live in."

Here are a few more opportunities:

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Imagine being in a beautiful environment AND doing service to maintain it for current and future visitors.

National Parks VIPs. VIP stands for Volunteers in Parks. A volunteer can do almost any job except law enforcement.

American Red Cross Disaster Services. Since 9/11, Katrina, and other recent disasters, people have become more aware of the need for disaster workers. RVers go through training and volunteer for three-week stints three times a year.

One RV Red Cross volunteer says, "RVers are in the fortunate position of being mobile and self-sufficient, so we can be ready to respond a lot quicker than many people." Julia and Fred add, "Because RVers are used to driving large vehicles, the Red Cross entrusts its fully equipped motor pool to us."

Now it's YOUR turn. Share your volunteering experience with us. Write a piece (150 - 250 words) and send it directly to me at youshoulda @ aol.com (remove spaces). The first three entries will receive a FREE copy of RV Traveling Tales and be published in RV Lifestyles. All others will be considered for a special article on volunteering.

Happy volunteering,

Alice