Volunteering
Already this pageant is having a major effect on my life. With almost every action I take, I now ask myself, “How does this impact me?”
And not only physically, which was obviously the first thing I began consciously working on. You see, I have been reading bios of previous pageant participants and realized just how very active they are in their communities. I have talked about getting more involved in volunteer work for a while, but I never actually got matched up with an organization.
Last Thursday night, I was telling my Brunette Beauty Queen friend, the one who signed me up for the pageant, that I had been researching former pageant participants and because they are so involved in many different volunteer organizations, they had given me the inspiration to become much more active. Not because this would help me competitively with the pageant as I have no idea how much previous volunteer work is a factor, but because these girls, many much younger than myself, have already done so much, and they have made me realize just how much I wasn’t doing.
That Thursday night, I began to wish for more opportunities to help and by Friday morning I had received three offers! First, Beauty Girl called and asked me to work the barter booth at the community theatre we have both been involved in for some time, and I easily agreed.
Next, another friend invited me to participate in the American Cancer Society Relay for Life this summer. I’m very excited to say that I have joined his team.
Finally, my boss told me of an available opportunity to work with younger girls and body image, my ultimate passion.
For a while, I have been concerned with how difficult the world has become for young girls; how insecure we as women become about our bodies only to grow up and sometimes unconsciously perpetuate the cycle. I began discussing my ideas to make a positive impact on these girls and just vocalizing my thoughts to a few people has already opened up several doors. The first door, of course, was the opportunity to participate in the pageant. The second was a charity event I was able to contribute my time and efforts to last Saturday.
It was a beauty event for underprivileged girls who were offered free hair cuts, manicures, eyebrow shaping, and self image and etiquette classes. One girl even received a $2,500 scholarship! It was an amazing experience. I left that Saturday inspired, and with several ideas that may come into play in my future as a volunteer!
I’m sure these opportunities may have appeared eventually without the help of my involvement in the pageant, but the pageant is what initially caused me to seek out these opportunities. And my request was so quickly answered that one can’t help but wonder if the two are connected. Hopefully this experience will help me continue to grow in positive and surprising ways. In the meantime, if you hear of any volunteer opportunities I might enjoy, please…let me know!
