Volunteering seems like work

[JoeWras]

There has been a lot of people writing about using the skills learned during their career when they volunteer. I like to think about the skills I’ve learned in my volunteer experiences. I joke that if the wheels fall off our retirement bus, I’ve got a few job skills that I didn’t have before.

Agree. That's one thing that keeps me coming back.

I've learned a heck of a lot about carpentry from rough to fine cabinet making.

I've also seen what the ravages of moisture and termites can do to structures. Avoid both at all costs.

Oh, and as for "stealing" jobs. At least around here, the job shortage is so severe, there's nothing to steal. We need to get our young people working with their hands! And the one org I work with (the cabinet repair) actually interns young people from local high schools to just "give them a taste." Many kids don't have any role models for "hands work." So, we do our best to provide some.

 

[LA_Newsboy]

I'd suggest donating platelets at your local hospital's blood donor center. Platelets are much more valuable than whole blood, and you'll be treated like royalty by the nurses. You need a couple of hours and good veins. I retired in 2000 at 55 and have been donating platelets every two weeks for the past 20 years. Often, my platelets go right now the hall to pediatric cancer patients. Now that is a good feeling.

 

[JoeWras]

I'd suggest donating platelets at your local hospital's blood donor center. Platelets are much more valuable than whole blood, and you'll be treated like royalty by the nurses. You need a couple of hours and good veins. I retired in 2000 at 55 and have been donating platelets every two weeks for the past 20 years. Often, my platelets go right now the hall to pediatric cancer patients. Now that is a good feeling.

+1. I give through a regional blood collection service. They have really good "kickbacks" for platelets. Usually Amazon or Walmart gift cards.

But those are not the point. The point is that platelets are the most fragile blood product, and one of the most needed. They can't be frozen or stored for more than a few days. And doctors prefer to infuse from one donor, versus aggregate donors centrifuged from whole blood. (It helps isolate reaction issues, should they occur.)

 

[Gumby]

Is this through the Red Cross? I'm well over 7 gallons of whole blood donated, but they've never asked me for platelets and I wonder why not.

 

[JoeWras]

Most Red Cross locations also do apheresis. Ask next time.

I don't donate with the Red Cross anymore for various reasons. Nothing major against them, I just happen to have alternatives. I know in our area the Red Cross definitely does apheresis platelet donations. Look it up.

 

[Focus]

There has been a lot of people writing about using the skills learned during their career when they volunteer.

Post-retirement, using the skills I developed during my career is the last thing I want to do as a volunteer.

 

[Amethyst]

Mine would probably get me in trouble!

As for the personality conflicts and issues, always remember: people bring to the workforce, their learned responses to family and upbringing. No matter their age, you can almost tell what kind of a youth experience they must have had. Yelling and drama worked for them? They'll create scenes. Had to be sneaky to survive? They'll try to manipulate. Whole fam was upfront and loving? Probably straighforward and simple to work with. Etc.

Post-retirement, using the skills I developed during my career is the last thing I want to do as a volunteer.

 

[JoeWras]

Post-retirement, using the skills I developed during my career is the last thing I want to do as a volunteer.

Amen.

I was laughing the other day when we were working on a plumbing repair at one of my favorite places. There was a volunteer working on the server rack. Out of nowhere some random swearing came from his direction. I recognized that pattern. Laptop-servers-swearing. Never again.

 

[RunningBum]

Is this through the Red Cross? I'm well over 7 gallons of whole blood donated, but they've never asked me for platelets and I wonder why not.

It may be that your blood type isn't in high demand. I'm AB+, which is the universal platelet donor type, so they asked me a few years ago for platelets, and that's what I've been doing since.

 

[Gumby]

It may be that your blood type isn't in high demand. I'm AB+, which is the universal platelet donor type, so they asked me a few years ago for platelets, and that's what I've been doing since.

A Neg - which I think is somewhat uncommon.

 

[Nemo2]

A Neg - which I think is somewhat uncommon.

DW & I are both A- She's uncommon, but I'm quite 'common'.

 

[CaptTom]

Post-retirement, using the skills I developed during my career is the last thing I want to do as a volunteer.

I never thought about it, but I think I'm the same way.

All my life, volunteering was an opportunity to do something new. Even volunteering at w*rk, it was often to get me away from the daily grind and do new things and meet new people.

Funny thing, one organization I belong to is looking for help with an IT position which is really not much more than data entry. I could do it in my sleep. But I've been reluctant to raise my hand. Now I know why.

Last time I made a comment about how a system could be improved, someone made an offhand comment like "If he's so smart, why doesn't he write a new system?" That challenge motivated me.

The new system I wrote has now been in use for over 10 years, by 30,000 users in that volunteer organization. I have some ideas on how it could be improved, but I've learned to keep my mouth shut.

 

[Sunny]

For what type of blood process you should donate based on what your blood type is maybe this is useful? https://www.inovablood.org/donate-blood/ideal-donation-for-your-blood-type/

Don’t know if it is applicable everywhere but all this talk of donating blood had me googling around to see how to do it and I bumped into that site.

 

[JoeWras]

For what type of blood process you should donate based on what your blood type is maybe this is useful? https://www.inovablood.org/donate-blood/ideal-donation-for-your-blood-type/

Don’t know if it is applicable everywhere but all this talk of donating blood had me googling around to see how to do it and I bumped into that site.

That's a general guideline, but not a solid request. My regional provider (The Blood Connection) has the same guideline.

However, blood product donation in general is always on the hairy edge of short supply, so honestly, whatever you give will likely be used in most normal times. That's probably why they invited me to give platelets even though I am not a favored type.

The thing about giving platelets is you can do it 26 times per year, so talk about making an impact! If they ever get enough platelet donors, they'll back off the requests. So far from what I hear at my center, they still could use more platelet donors of any type.