My volunteering experience with KitAid

Taken from Kit Aid's twitter

When I have the time, I try to use it to volunteer with projects that the university has available. I usually volunteer for the one-off projects and one of the projects that I've been to more than once is Kit Aid. Kit Aid is a charity organization that collects and donates football kits to children and adults in the poorest countries in the world.

I've been to three boxing sessions so far. What we do is we sort out and pack the football kits that people have donated into boxes. The type of items that we pack include football jerseys, shorts, socks and water bottles. It's 1,2,3 easy. 

At my second boxing session, I met Barbara. She runs her own charity and she told me that her son was very active in helping out the underprivileged and he had passed away. We talked a bit and she gave me a flyer for her charity and she also gave me a copy of her book that she and her friend worked on together. I was very touched that she gave it to me and she shared with me what her son said to her which was 'Always look for the good in people'. 

The little boy on the right is her son,  known as Johnny Rhythm. 

I was hoping to see her at the boxing session I attended last week but she wasn't there. Instead, I was introduced by man who set up Kit Aid, Derrick Williams , to two people who run their own charities, Dorothy and Ben. When I arrived for the boxing session, I went to say hello to Derrick and he asked me if I was the one who wrote the blog (I volunteered to blog about my volunteering experience for the uni) and I was surprised he knew about that. I was also flattered that he recognized me from the previous boxing session because you know, it feels nice to be recognized. 

I was getting to work, sorting out the football kits on my little table and Dorothy said hi to me. She asked me if I work with Affinity Water and I told her I'm a student and I'm volunteering. We got to talking more and she told me she runs her own charity, I can't remember the name though but we exchanged emails. She mentioned that she is organizing a trip to Africa to help with the people there and their living conditions and she extended an invite out to me. I'm not sure if I would go but the fact that I was given a volunteering opportunity feels great. 

Then I met Ben who is from Holland. When I was talking to him I had to look up because he was so tall hahaha. He was really nice and friendly. I noticed he always started a conversation with everyone in the room, and it was easy to talk to him because he had this easiness about him. We talked about where I was from, and my degree and whether I missed my family. Both Ben and Frank, Dorothy's friend who I assume helps out with her organization, asked me if I missed my family and I managed to respond without getting teary eyed hahah. It's not so bad though, I think it helps to not think about it and to keep myself busy. 

Thanks to Dorothy for taking this picture and emailing it to me. That's me talking to Ben, told you he was really tall. 

Anyway, when we were done boxing up, Ben started handing out honey jars and he gave me one too. I wasn't expecting to get one because we had just met and he knew the others. Before everyone left Derrick asked us to write our names on a piece of paper and put it in a bag for a lucky draw. I was hoping to win a bottle of wine but it wasn't my lucky day. Dorothy won though and she went straight for the wine hahha. 

I'm hoping that I'll be able to volunteer for the Bayfordbury conservation again this year because it's outdoors. I haven't been able to this semester because I have classes on Wednesday but hopefully I can next semester. 

That's all I had to share for this post, till the next one! 

Check out Kit Aid's website to find out more about the organization and how you can help out if you're interested.