Advertising in the 1920's

From Passion to Performance to Prosperity:
Volunteering for a Great Cause
Emily Price
English 101, Section 087
Professor Reid
November 5, 2012

From Passion to Performance to Prosperity:
Volunteering for a Great Cause It is commonly known that every human being on this earth is different. We all have different personalities, morals, values, interests, and hobbies. This diversity between one another is what makes every person unique and special in their own way. Ever since I was a little girl, I have always had a great love for animals. While growing up, my family always had household pets that I quickly bonded and became the best of friends with. From cats to rabbits, hamsters to turtles, and fish to lizards, I had it all. And I loved every one of them. My passion for animals was simply only a passion, until I came across an opportunity to become a member of the JCAPL (Johnston County Animal Protection League). For the first time ever, I was able to create a hobby out of my infatuation of animals. In Carolyn Ellis’ “Autoethnography: An Introduction,” she defines authothnography as “writing about the personal and its relationship to culture" (Ellis, 2004, p. 37). With respect to this definition, I will explore my personal experiences as a JCAPL volunteer through autoethnography by both critically examining previous sociological works on volunteers ' experiences, and encourage new research on this topic.
Step 1: The Start of Something Good I remember it all. I can still feel the warm summer wind gliding my sun-kissed cheeks. I didn’t usually have all of my windows down while I drove, especially not on the way to my lackluster burden, otherwise known as my job. Today was an exception, however, summer was quickly approaching its end, and I would be once again bound by the chains of high school. I decided to cherish every little bit that I had left. As I pulled in, I thought to myself, “just another ordinary day of work.” Oh boy was I wrong. Essentially, the routine was the same, mindless duties and chores as I had become accustomed to. What was different, however, was the opportunity that was suddenly presented right in front of me, so perfect that it seemed almost as an act of fate. It began by my co-worker, Colten, irritatingly babbling to me about how his mom, Becky Hochman, was the reason why he was late to work. I didn’t blame him; I would be pretty ticked as well if my ride decided to not show up until an hour after I was scheduled to clock in. “It’s always something with her. Either she’s caught up feeding the baby kittens or she’s in traffic after picking up some puppies that someone called in as abandoned on the side of the road,” he grumbled. What had he just said? Instantly, my whole interest in our conversation had taken a sudden one hundred eighty degree turn. “Your mom was what? That sounds totally amazing! Is your mom a vet or something?” It occurred to me that I was the one babbling now. Oh well, I had to get to the bottom of this. Colten then revealed that his mom was the president of a local non-profit organization, the JCAPL, and began describing what the organization was all about. It didn’t take long before I was hooked and knew that it was something that I wanted to be a part of. The dedication and values of Ms. Hochman and the organization as a whole were certainly ones that I looked up to and admired. Although I feel blessed and grateful for having an opportunity to be a part of this organization, I still think to myself and wonder: what was the real reason for wanting to join the JCAPL? Although I have always had a deep love for animals, I feel that the root of my dedication to the JCAPL was to do some good for my community and know that I made a difference in some animals’ lives. My perceived explanations are supported by a study suggests “people volunteer because of their values and the perceived net benefits from participation” (Clerkin, Paynter & Taylor, 2008, p. 677). I was sure that my membership would result in my own happiness as long as my personal efforts in the JCAPL benefited some helpless animals or contributed to the cause of reducing pet overpopulation in my community. Another study claimed that “individuals who volunteer-for whatever reason, motivation, or goal-are more likely to possess such personal resources, enabling them to pursue their values or goals more easily or effectively” (Thoitis & Hewitt, 2001, p. 118). I can relate to this statement since the motivation that I felt to volunteer with the JCAPL and the resulting feeling of self-worth and value I attained after making a difference in my community helped me further by giving me confidence to reach future goals that previously would have been challenging for me.
Step 2: The Experience
The day was finally here. I tried convincing myself that I wasn’t nervous, even though that was a lie. I had been a member of the JCAPL for a little over a month now, but this was my first major volunteering event. Once I pulled up to the Clayton Senior Center at two o’clock to help set up for the Spay-ghetti & No Balls (pun intended) fundraising dinner, I pushed my hesitant attitude aside and prepared myself for a good night of fun and service for an awesome cause. After being greeted by Becky, I was introduced to the whole volunteer crew. Like Becky, Stephanie, Jenni, Susan, and Gayle were all unemployed moms whom dedicated their time and work to the greater good of the JCAPL. Amber, Loren, and Jasmine were all high school students like me. Heather and Kris were both college students who loved volunteering for the benefit of the local animals in their spare time. The elders of the group, Angie and Mona, both had warming smiles and positive attitudes. After meeting this amazing group of people, it opened up my eyes to see the big picture. No matter what age, shape, size, or stage of life, all of these volunteers all did have one thing in common: love for animals. We were all united by our mutual drive to make an impact on the lives of animals in need.
Soon after meeting the crew, we quickly went to work. Some of our tasks on the long to-do list included moving tables and chairs, organizing plates and drinks, cutting up individual desserts, decorating, and preparing heaters. Needless to say, it’s not a surprise that it didn’t take long before most everyone started breaking a sweat. We had to finish before four o’clock, no questions asked. Ms. Hochman and I were assigned to pick up the donated spaghetti from Venero’s Pizzeria and garlic knots from Ray’s Pizza. This opportunity gave me a chance to get to know her better and her drive for leading the JCAPL. Fortunately, everything was perfect and the food was ready to go ten minutes till. During this time, Ms. Hochman delegated who was going to be responsible for what duty for the next three hours. My job entitled serving plates, taking tickets from customers, offering desserts, assisting with refills and pre-bussing tables with empty plates. The next three hours flew by faster than the two hours of set up had, and I sincerely enjoyed the company of other volunteers and customers that were participating to give to a more important cause. Over $1,600 was donated to the JCAPL to provide food, medicine, medical care, supplies, and spay/neuter surgeries for the animals in their care to then be adopted out to the public. Being involved in this organization and this certain event helped me to see what such good a small group of people can do for such a big cause and what a difference each person can make in their community.
Two psychology professors at the Catholic University of Milano in Italy, Marta & Pozzi performed a study that researched the possible effects and reasons for commitment from young adults volunteerism as they develop into adults. Marta & Pozzi (2008) described the importance in volunteer identity and how it forms in the following:
Volunteer identity can be a prominent role, not only for the defined social tasks and characteristics the volunteer assumes, but also for the symbolic, affective, and value investment that the same individual and the broader society have upon it. Volunteer identity is developed through relationships with the recipients of the volunteer’s service as well as through the relationships with the organization (p.44). Their findings of volunteer identity relate with my experiences of volunteering, which helped me to connect with other volunteers and contributors to the cause of the JCAPL and appreciate the greater picture of community service and making my community a better place, one step at a time.
Step 3: My Personal Gains Chairman of the department of psychology and professor at the College of St. Catherine, E. Gil Clary (as cited in Clerkin, Paynter & Taylor, 2008) asserted that prime concerns are met through volunteering, such as: expressing values, establishing a realization of surroundings and tools needed for different environments, promoting psychological growth, participating in social activities, and creating career goals and skills (p. 677). I also feel that my involvement in this organization makes me feel like a better person by exhibiting a helping and caring behavior. It has been said that “the intrinsic and extrinsic gratifications of the work may generate feelings of self-worth, self-efficacy, happiness, and satisfaction-aspects of positive mental health” (Thoitis & Hewitt, 2001, p. 118-119).
It is now clear to me that the animals of Johnston County not only need the volunteers of the JCAPL, but the volunteers also need these animals. As members of the JCAPL, myself and my fellow volunteers have tasted the rewards that our membership brings, and we are forever addicted. It is now part of our identity and who we are; it is our source of happiness, joy, and hope in this world. Marta and Pozzi (2008) presented the following as the positive traits that correlate with youth volunteerism:
Several studies have defined some young–adult volunteer personality characteristics: volunteers are more extroverted, have less need of autonomy, have a greater ego strength, have higher internalized moral standards, have a more positive attitude toward self and others, have a greater degree of self-efficacy and optimism, have more emotional stability and have a greater empathy and a less narcissistic investment on the self than do non-volunteers (p. 36).
This research exhibits the positive effects that many youths experience through cooperating in volunteering with non-profit organizations. My personal experience and previous social science research on volunteering motives and development highlight the importance of volunteering on individuals as it helps contribute to their identity. For further research, I believe that it would be interesting to investigate the psychological effects of volunteers that do not necessarily voluntarily participate in community service and it the volunteer work results in positive effects as well.

Works Cited
Clerkin, R.M. & Paynter, S.R., & Taylor, J.K. (2008). Public Service Motivation in Undergraduate Giving and Volunteering Decisions. The American Review of Public Administration, 39(6), 675-698. Retrieved from http://arp.sagepub.com.prox.lib.ncsu.edu/content/39/6/675.full.pdf+html
Ellis, C. (2004). Autoethnography: An Introduction. The Ethnographic I, 31-37. Retrieved from https://reserves.lib.ncsu.edu/reservesViewer.php?reserve=248151
Marta, E., & Pozzi, M. (2008). Young People and Volunteerism: A Model of Sustained Volunteerism During the Transition to Adulthood. Journal of Adult Development, 15(1), 35-46. Retrieved from http://link.springer.com.prox.lib.ncsu.edu/article/10.1007/s10804-007-9033-4.
Thoitis, P.A. & Hewitt, L.N. (2001). Volunteer Work and Well-Being. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 42(2), 115-131. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/3090173?origin=api&

Cited: Clerkin, R.M. & Paynter, S.R., & Taylor, J.K. (2008). Public Service Motivation in Undergraduate Giving and Volunteering Decisions. The American Review of Public Administration, 39(6), 675-698. Retrieved from http://arp.sagepub.com.prox.lib.ncsu.edu/content/39/6/675.full.pdf+html Ellis, C. (2004). Autoethnography: An Introduction. The Ethnographic I, 31-37. Retrieved from https://reserves.lib.ncsu.edu/reservesViewer.php?reserve=248151 Marta, E., & Pozzi, M. (2008). Young People and Volunteerism: A Model of Sustained Volunteerism During the Transition to Adulthood. Journal of Adult Development, 15(1), 35-46. Retrieved from http://link.springer.com.prox.lib.ncsu.edu/article/10.1007/s10804-007-9033-4. Thoitis, P.A. & Hewitt, L.N. (2001). Volunteer Work and Well-Being. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 42(2), 115-131. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/3090173?origin=api&