Hello Boston Cares blog readers, Twitter followers, and Facebook Fans!

My name is Jenna and I’m the New Volunteer Recruitment Intern here at Boston Cares. I’m taking care of the Blog this summer, which includes the new series: Story-Time Friday, where volunteers will have a chance to share their story with the BC community.

To introduce our new series, I thought I’d begin with my own story so that we can get to know each other a little better.

So, without further ado, here is my story:

I’m a fresh college graduate with a degree in Writing Studies who came to Boston 3 weeks ago on a bus with nothing more than a backpack so that I could give my time and skills to helping with Boston Cares’ publicity outlets and volunteer orientations. I did this because I’m passionate about volunteerism and how the smallest, simplest acts of kindness can change lives.

Like mine or example. While I have approximately 240 documented service hours on record, I truly discovered my passion for community service in late January, 2013 when I was newly graduated from treatment for Anorexia Nervosa. I began a blog for my senior project about how to manage day-to-day life with an eating disorder and everything that comes with it.

In creating this blog, I not only found an outlet for my thoughts, struggles, and accomplishments, but also received messages from people I didn’t know previously, contacting me to say that my blog was helping them handle their own challenges.

That’s when I, who was convinced that I had nothing to offer to anyone to the point that my own life was on the line, realized that I had made a positive impact just by being my most humble and honest self.

I was hooked on helping others, and it didn’t stop at blogging. I made Easter baskets for friends and muffins for co-workers. I started secret buddy programs and posted inspirational notes around my school’s campus. No act of kindness was too small to bring big rewards.

When I discovered Boston Cares, I knew I’d found the first stop on my post-graduation journey. This organization isn’t just about performing acts of service, though that it is a big part of it. But it also helps people find an outlet through which they can truly realize how much they have to offer others.

Volunteerism saves lives—and I’m not just talking about the homeless and hungry. Take it from someone who has been there.

As an intern at Boston Cares, I get to use my writing skills to tell people about this wonderful community of people who care about people. It’s helped me feel less lonely in this new city and this new life adventure. And as a volunteer, I can spend my free time participating in projects that allow me to continue to see my life as a gift that I can give to others.

So, it’s nice to meet you, and I hope you’ll get involved. When I go to volunteer projects, I like to talk to my fellow volunteers about what brought them to Boston Cares, and the story is always unique and fascinating.

If you want to share your story—how you found volunteerism, a notable experience with Boston Cares, how you’ve been impacted by Boston Cares and community service, or anything else—contact us at volunteers@bostoncares.org and we’ll be in touch.  

Thanks for listening,

Jenna