Much more than altruism

Much more than altruism

1st – 7th June marks National Volunteers Week 2023.

I began volunteering for Action Duchenne in 2019. My son Sebastian had been diagnosed with Duchenne in 2016. His brother Toby was born shortly after, and I had already decided that going back to my previous job as a youth worker wasn’t going to fit into the demands of my family life. For a long time, I was ‘just’ a mum. And more and more, I felt the ‘just’.

I loved being with the boys all the time and I loved being there for all the important, and unimportant, moments. But when Covid 19 forced us into shielding, I was in the house with two small boys and the need to be part of the outside world became something I couldn’t ignore.

I had fundraised for Action Duchenne, been to the conferences and felt a connection to a community. I began to volunteer, just doing very small tasks that were within my comfort zone. Even the act of turning my laptop on to do something separate from the all-consuming role I had at home gave me something that I hadn’t known I’d been missing. Gradually I took on more and found that the voluntary work I was doing played into skills I hadn’t known were there, areas of my brain that I hadn’t explored before.

Being out of the workplace gradually erodes the confidence you have to re-enter it, or to believe that you have value to offer. The voluntary work I did for Action Duchenne, mentored by their amazing staff, was a crucial step in rebuilding that belief.

Having a son with Duchenne often means feeling helpless. There are many aspects which go against the natural process of parenting. I need to channel that feeling into something bigger, to know that I am part of working towards change for the future, to know that I am making a difference however small. My voluntary work was part of recognising and then fulfilling that need.

We often talk about volunteering as a purely altruistic act, the giving of time, skill and expertise without reciprocation. This Volunteers’ Week, I am reflecting not on the contribution that I made through my volunteering but instead on what it gave me. The many things I gained will always outweigh the little I gave.

Action Duchenne has a very clear vision: a world where lives are no longer limited by Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Our volunteers are a huge part of our work towards achieving this vision. From IT support, working on our website, researching fundraising events or helping us to deliver our annual international conference, there’s something for everyone. If you’ve got an hour a week or simply a free weekend once a year, we need you! If you’d like to get involved and be a part of our amazing team, email: volunteer@actionduchenne.org