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Seven questions with a Skill-Based Volunteer

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THE FEED

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Heart of West Michigan United Way by Heart of West Michigan United Way (Heart of West M...) on Wednesday Oct 27th, 2010 03:59pm in NONPROFITS

Preston Mull, a skill-based volunteer at Well House

Preston Mull, a skill-based volunteer at Well House /Maureen Fleming

Preston works on computer projects with Well House staff members.

Preston works on computer projects with Well House staff members. /Maureen Fleming

Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported

Preston Mull is a skill-based volunteer at Well House.  He volunteers his computer skills to help the agency get up to speed and get connected.  We recently met with Preston and asked him about this volunteer experience.

 

Q: What is your current/former occupation or experience?

Preston: I graduated in May of 2010 with a degree in Environmental Science. I’m currently unemployed and think volunteering as a good way to apply my skills and learn new ones. 

Q: What do you enjoy most about working at Well House? This volunteer project?

P: I enjoy stretching across the boundary between myself and the person I’m teaching. Learning how to communicate what I know to someone else. I enjoy learning more myself (and about myself) through teaching.

Q: What motivates you to volunteer?
P: I want to help other people. Additionally, there is a social motivation in meeting and working with other people – it’s a mutually beneficial arrangement.Volunteering is often more enjoyable than the job search – and more enjoyable than some jobs. 
Q: What are the benefits to you with Skill-Based Volunteering?

P: I may be able to learn something new in my field of study or interest while applying my skills as a volunteer. This volunteer project allows me to hone my ability to teach others, which is a great skill to have in itself.

Q: How are you able to use your professional or personal skills in this volunteer project? What benefit do your particular skills provide to Well House?

P: Well House is benefiting through my teaching the staff the basics of a computer – what Windows, email, websites are. This knowledge will enable them to complete current tasks and open up new opportunities for Well House and for the staff in their own personal lives.
Q: Do you plan to continue using your skills to volunteer in the future?

P: Yes, I have interest and experience in math, writing, and tutoring. Writing plays a big role in the scientific field. I’d like to use those skills somehow.

About: Heart of West Michigan United Way

Heart of West Michigan United Way

As a long-time community leader, Heart of West Michigan United Way collaborates with other organizations throughout West Michigan to advance the common good - that is, to direct change and create opportunities for a good life for all who live here. We focus our efforts in three critical areas: education, income and health, which are the building blocks to a successful life. A quality education that leads to a stable job, enough to support a family through retirement, with good health at every stage. Our goal is to work toward long-lasting changes that truly make an impact. So while we support those who have fallen on hard times, we also work to identify the root causes of problems. Then we build preventative systems that keep those problems from happening in the first place.

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