I used to be very active in local community theatre. My DD,at 10 years old, got a part in a play and I started helping out, especially with costumes. Fast forward 30 years and I still on ocassion help with costuming at the local theatre where we now live.
I was president of our theatre years ago, produced plays, both children and adult. Once all my kids were in college, I stayed active quite for sometime.
Sure was a lot of fun, met a load of people, but was all ways backstage, never had the urge to be on stage!
Hope you find your niche!

I volunteer every other week to serve dinner at our local homeless shelter. I also joined the Red Cross and am taking the courses to be a Disaster Responder locally. I am also a volunteer on my Township's Shade Tree Commission. I also belong to a local garden club and Township Community garden so I have lots of fun stuff to do. I LOVE being retired!
Joann

Meals on wheels is a good one to serve....

I volunteer every day to cook, clean, do laundry and babysit the grandkids. Does this count?? I help our elderly neighbors when they need it. I have crippling arty so it limits me. They call and I go help... The way I look at it I may need help some day.

I do not do as much as I should but I do help with fundraising for our library and our town has a summer arts festival that holds various concerts and events in the park every week.
This saturday we are having a craft show with about 80 crafters expected. I am going to the park Friday to help paint the markers for set-up booths.

I am vice president of the PTA for my son's middle school.

I first was a volunteer in the educational department of local zoo.
THEN I worked as a volunteer at local hospital delivered complimentary birth certificates to new parents

Lastly was a courier for local travel agent.

I volunteer two mornings a week at the large VA clinic in Pensacola, Fl. It's a real eye-opener to hear some of the stories the vets tell and the problems they run into. I thoroughly enjoy my time there.

I plan to volunteer at a local VA facility.

I am active in our church quilting group and in our local garden club. For the latter, we have a lovely city garden that needs a lot of upkeep. I also do the flyers for the events of church and and garden club groups.

I crochet beanie style hats for men in camoflauge or navy or gray and then give them to the Vets at the VA hospital in the winter or homeless. making them now but too hot to give out right now

I wanted to learn more about photography, so I started hanging out on FLICKR...looking at photos and the settings they used to take them. I was contacted by a group founder to be a moderator for his 2 groups, then an admin.

It's like being part of an extended family. We encourage each other to try new techniques. :0) It's also an option to sell photos on Getty(which is linked to FLICK)....so there are other outlets...

I volunteer at the information desk at the hospital here. I got started doing that when I ran into my former supervisor who had just retired from the hospital.
I also deliver Meals on Wheels when they need a sub. I volunteer with RSVP and drive people to their doctor or dental appointments.
I volunteer at my church helping serve Easter brunch, baking finger foods for funerals, being a greeter for Sunday morning service, helping serve communion, etc. Whenever someone calls and asks me to help at church, I always enjoy saying "yes".

I was a Girl Scout leader for twelve years. I also was a member of Good Dog Foundation and volunteered with my Golden in the psychiatric unit at a local hospital.
I am now working two part-time jobs, so I do not have the disire to volunteer at this time. Not sure what I would do next.
There are so many possibilities out there.
Do you like politics, animals, children? Do you have a skill that you can teach? What setting would you like? A hospital, a library, a school?
It is a good idea to start thinking about how to use your time when you retire before you retire.
Also,getting active in exercise classes, taking up a sport if you are able such as tennis, bowling etc. Learning a skill that you never had time for, knitting, craft etc.
Although I no longer have a dog, I did feel more plugged in to my neighborhood when I had to go for walks. Just a thought.

I volunteer at my local animal shelter, though I prefer to work in the cat room, not with the dogs. It's close (about 5 miles) and fun to see the kittens. I tried to make friends with a feral, but he ended up kept in a cage because he was mean.

1. Girl Guides - leader for a Brownie group, contact guider and leader for a guide/pathfinder/ranger group. We do can drives at least once a year and donate the items to food banks. Also as a service project I have the older girls make hygiene bundles for shelters (washcloth, toothpaste and brush, soap, comb, that sort of thing). To tie in guiding, they tie them up like bedrolls and use their knot tying skills.

2. Local community gardens (two) in different capacities. I have a garden plot at one but just help at the other.

3. A local wildlife rehab has quarterly garage/bake sales. I am one of the regular bakers, usually contributing both regular and sugar free goodies.

4. Part of the group working towards developing a food charter for our area, and serve on two sub committees (a round table, and a training and skills committee).

5. Every month part of my grocery budget is used to purchase items for a homeless youth outreach centre located in our downtown. Portable, non-perishable food items, socks, underwear, they have to use disposable dishes so sometimes I get stacks of those and plastic cutlery. Fresh produce in season (last fall, I brought in bushels of apples every couple of weeks).

Dances.

I was involved with the School Board for years, when my kids were still in school. I even scripted and appeared on camera for a q&a to get a levy passed. Then I became a Master Gardener for 9 years and LOVED it. We recently moved to be near daughter, son-in-law & then 6 month old granddaughter and was going to go through Master Gardening training here until daughter's 2nd pregnancy and me helping her out with the now 14 month old Energizer Bunny girl. Grandson is coming in August. I'm thinking my volunteer work is gonna be helping out with grandkids for about another 5 years. And loving every minute of it. :-)

I work at an elementary school that is at 90% poverty. We have some retired people that come in once a week and volunteer in a class room. It is one of the best things that help out the teachers and is very rewarding for children who suffer from poverty, broken homes, parents with drug and alcohol problems.

Wow! A bunch of great ideas! I love animals, so the local shelter is a possibility, although I'm afraid it will break my heart. I also thought about the library. Thanks so much for your input.

Nothing but I'm proud to say my dd volunteers at the local Humane Society and just started at the VA hospital where I work. She's helping in the pharmacy right now and her friend is helping transport patients.

I do animal rescue for animals at our local animal shelter. It's the best and most rewarding experience I have ever had.

A great place to volunteer is at the hospital, holding the babies, reading to the kids and elderly, playing games. I was with a group in Dallas, we would dress up in crazy outfits and go give princess make overs to the little girls in the terminal wards, it was heart wrenching but incredible rewarding to see them light up. We would play music, and, games with them. We had a dance routine we would do and include them in it. There really is so much to do there.

Currently I am on several computer help forums, I provide computer assistance to a lot of people locally, mostly elderly. I assist some senior groups, setting up email for them, teaching some classes, and how to make newsletters, and send out announcements, all sorts of things.
The garden club I am in does plant and baking sales to raise money which we use to help those in need and donate to various places.

I have also been helping out the elderly here in my neighborhood when I am able to give them rides to the doctor, hair appointment, grocery, pharmacy etc, just places near by.

EMT with our Volunteer Fire Department - they ALWAYS need volunteers!!

Also part of the FD Women's Auxillary

I have really cut back, but I have done major volunteering since I retired from teaching to start our family. First it was La Leche League, then the schools and community. I worked a little on cityhood issues and community service support, but mostly schools and children and volunteer teaching. Elected to school board and so got involved in political support too. Was PTA leader and served on the state board as well. Served on several state boards for education. I now serve on just one county board for boundaries for school districts and trustee areas.

I had always thought of teaching adults to read, and I remember seeing one woman doing so in our library, one on one. But I have never found training for it locally.

I help for an hour or two a week during the school week at a school with disadvantaged kids who need a little extra one-on-one. Love it.

Sheilajoyce, I think the libraries set up adult reading programs and are always looking for volunteers. I'm sure they would be very grateful for your time and talent!

Wildlife rehab.

Ha, Marilyn!! That's putting it mildly! :)

I volunteer at my grandaughter's school, am on our city's Library Board, involved with our Library Friends, attend city council meetings, involved with some city projects, and have helped with some local elections.

Have done volunteer income tax prep for low-income folks for several years, but wasn't needed at the church this year, as most wanted it done electronically, for faster refund, and I did paper, and I hadn't arranged for service at a different place ... but did a couple privately.

Biggest garden ever, this year - over a mile of it ... but several kinds of plants had poor sprouting, whether due to old seed or too dry at the time, and I didn't water enough.

Some for self, landlord and son, plus friends, but take most to a couple of churches that I attend, asking the recipients to add to their offering, and some social service agencies: abused women, men's mission, Salvation Army, street mission.

Have helped with communion a few times at church, conducted worship a couple of months ago when the minister was away on a retreat, and will do it again next month during her vacation: tell them to keep the fee.

Am considering offering assistance to some local chuches who may want to offer assistance to members and community people who want to learn how to make dollars work more effectively, reduce tax, find more efficient ways to fund charities, etc. (as I was able to avoid federal tax entirely on income during the past couple of years ... but it took some managing of types of investment income, plus giving about 20% to churches and charities, plus political contributions, to manage that).

Offer assistance to folks broke down on the road (though one is becoming disinclined to stop, as often it's people stopped to use their cell phone). But one could suggest that there may be some self-interest involved, for I drive a 24-year-old car with upwards of 200,000 miles on the odometer so, despite having CAA, sometimes appreciate some help on the road.

Pick up hitchhikers: sometimes hitchhike, myself.

ole joyfuelled

Not nearly enough. I occasionally take DVDs to a local nursing home for "Movie Day", something I think the clients will enjoy like documentaries about one room schools, local history,ect.