The Ack Pack

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Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Community Outreach

For the past few months I have been questioning, "Is there more I can do? Is there more I can be involved in?" To answer that simply... Of course! I have been having this overwhelming feeling of needing more in my life. I need more purpose in life besides just being a wife and mother. I hesitate to use the word "just" for fear it may sound like this is no tall order. I am proud to be all of these but sometimes we just need more and I think it will make me a better wife, mother and friend to boot. I am not very involved in much of anything (from playgroups to MNO, to outreach) I don't work outside the home, I don't earn compensation and I think this causes me to feel more like I don't make much of a difference in this world and have no purpose outside of raising kids and being a wife and friend.

I have been a member of PAMOM for 3 years and one thing I have done for a couple of years now is mentor PAMOM expectant MOM's. PAMOM partners up MOM's who have multiples with MOM's who are expecting. This is a great way to help out a fellow MOM and "give back". When I was pregnant with my triplets, I had a mentor as well and it was such a wonderful thing to have my own mentor to ask questions and turn to because she had "been there, done that".

I have started to make a few changes by adding various activities to my life such as: joining MOPS and becoming more involved with PAMOM (attended my first meeting in 1 1/2 years last night). At the last MOPS meeting we did a community service craft, decorating aprons for hospitalized kids with cancer, and at the PAMOM meeting, we pinned purple ribbons for domestic violence awareness month. I look forward to more adventures with MOPS including dressing the kids up in Halloween costumes and visiting a local nursing home. It really is rewarding to "give back" and those on the receiving end are benefiting too. I encourage you to do so. But no judgment from me if you don't. The purpose of this post isn't to "brag" although it may appear that way. The purpose of this post is to share my thoughts with you and encourage you and also to ask you to share any outreach opportunities that are important to you.

As time and my schedule permits, I would like to become more involved in community outreach programs that are special to me and maybe even take on leadership position in the future.

3 comments:

Jami Ackerman said...

Great aspirations! You certainly have a lot of great info to share with other MOM's. And starting now to teach your kids to focus on serving others instead of being self-serving is admirable. I'm very proud of you, daughter.

Les and Kimberly said...

That's great! I know one thing that I volunteered at before having kids was at the SPCA. I love helping animals too! I have done mentoring also through CIS (communities in schools). They work with teenagers who need mentors - it was awesome! I actually interned with them during my final years of my psych degree.

amyjclardy said...

That's awesome girl, very proud of your efforts to be more involved in your community, especially with women and families that are facing something you have already been through. What a very rewarding way to give back! :)