Volunteerism is free

People call me MJ, short for my full name Mary Joy Medina Roxas. I graduated from the University of Asia and the Pacific, BS Information Technology through academic scholarship (yes, very privileged indeed) and now works as a Technology Consultant at Hewlett-Packard.

When I started working, I felt like I get to enjoy life more. I was given more privileges, access to what I wanted before but cannot afford; not to mention I am also able to help my family financially. But then there’s no self-fulfillment yet; at least not fully. When I have begun improving the within (my inner self), I started to look for ways to improve the without (others). Although I am already into volunteerism even in college, in which I feel blessed that UA&P introduced me, it came to a stop when I was no longer connected to the university. Fortunately, one of my officemates then, Anna, was into reaching out to others too. She let me know of BCYF and I knew right from that start this was the hole I needed to fill in.

As a BCYF volunteer, I lead a project I Run I Inspire. I work with a team who’s very committed in making the plan into a reality and be able to move people. It’s one thing when you want to ignite the change; it’s another when you see that there are also other people willing to do the same.

No matter how cliché this is, indeed, if there’s a will, there’s a way. With my schedule at work, dance classes and online business, I might have felt preoccupied all the time. But if you love what you’re doing, no matter how tedious it may seem, you will not feel tired in anyway. Rather, it will push you to go out of shell and do something more.

Volunteerism is free. You don’t get monetary value upon doing it. But there is much more important that a penny can bring. And that is the joy and satisfaction you get once you see other people smiling, thankful for what you’ve done. Again, volunteerism is free; but not all that is free is cheap.

Disclaimer: This story was given to the foundation by its author as his contribution to CSR Stories