The Importance of Charity Work

Andrew Leong-Murphy - Senior Language Instructor, Center for Languages and Professional Development, USJ

Many people might make a small donation periodically to a certain charity, or small group of charities. They might take part in a ‘casual’ day at work (making a small contribution) or sponsor someone they know doing something special for their chosen cause. However, are these people missing out? Might they gain from doing something a bit extra for a cause they care about? In this article I will describe my experience of doing charity work and how it became a case of one good turn deserving another.
There are many reasons why people become involved in doing ‘something extra’ for a charity. A family bereavement, a sudden windfall, a passion for a subject or a desire to do good.  In my case, it was a combination of finishing university and a new cat sanctuary opening near my home. I had been interested in doing voluntary work for a long time, but there was always a good reason not to – be it university exams or summer work. Suddenly I had a whole summer off before graduation in August and the demands of finding a job. But how to fill this time?
I, like many of my fellow students in the UK, had an academic C.V., but one that lacked that special something to set it apart. It didn’t occur to me that working in a cat sanctuary, looking after stray and feral cats would help me find work. At the end of a tiring 11 hour day, covered in cat bites and scratches, I was too tired to think about my future career. However, many of the skills I was busy learning (team work, working to a deadline, dealing with the public, selling, PR) would actually be extremely useful in finding work in the future. This effect is multiplied if one of the people recruiting you is a pet lover! They are sure to remember your C.V. and talk to you about the experience in a job interview (it happened to me twice; both times I got the job). If you have bandages on your arms (as I did in both interviews) it really does add to the effect.
After getting a full-time job, I could no longer devote so much time to charity work. This was disappointing for me, but was a natural progression. However, I still wanted to do something extra for charity – so I decided to attempt a sponsored climb of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. I paid all of my costs myself, but raised sponsorship money for another animal charity. I gave interviews on the local radio, got my picture in the local paper (I got a few comments, my cat got far more!) and set about preparing for the trip.
The preparations were very hard work! I had many vaccinations, had a lot of kit to buy, and, worst of all, had a very hard pair of walking boots to wear in! The memories of the trip will always be with me. It was a special, once-in-a-lifetime experience, which I would never have attempted if it hadn’t been for wanting to raise money for charity.
So, remember that, while ‘charity begins at home’, if you make the extra effort you might gain some unexpected rewards. Even if you don’t, the satisfaction and memories you gain from the experience will be worthwhile on their own.

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