A question that’s been weighing on my heart and mind lately is “How can I give back?” I have countless blessings and many privileges, and I firmly believe that to whom much is given, much is expected.

I do give money to United Way via payroll deduction. That’s so automatic and painless that I feel like it doesn’t really even count.

One of my New Year’s resolutions this year (you know, those resolutions that I swore I wasn’t making? this one made itself) was to engage in my community by volunteering somewhere, somehow. I think it’s important to give myself, not just my money.

The nature of my job keeps me focused on Alaska and Seattle, not my own community. Aside from my neighbors and some friendly fellow ferry commuters, I know almost no one in my own home town. A side benefit of volunteering locally would be making connections and caring about people here.

So where can I contribute? How? With whom? Therein lies the rub.

What do I feel strongly about? I wish I could fix:

• the never ending single mother poverty cycle
• the pain of domestic violence
• the grief of homelessness and hunger
• the deficiency in basic literacy (and numeracy) skills for some
• the lack of basic human rights for some women at home and abroad
• the obstacles to cancer, diabetes and mental health disease prevention and solution research

What do I want to avoid? I’m not particularly interested in getting involved in political organizations of any stripe, environmentalist organizations or animal rights activists. Those types of groups, while sharing some admirable objectives, seem to attract a particularly high percentage of extremist participants.

While I’m a capable administrator, organizer and technical resource, since I do that work all day long, that’s not what I want to do as a volunteer. I’d like to actually be with people – hear them, help them, hug them.

I’ll be doing some research over the next week or so and will report back my ideas. If anyone has any suggestions, please feel free to toss them in the ring using comments or via email.