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—Holly Holmberg Brooks, Founder of GirlSite

18 to 25 points: Golden Girl
Suffering really affects you. You're ready to get in there and ease other's pain. You're "good with people" and animals. Check these jobs out:

- Candy striper
- Nursing home visitor
- Soup kitchen server
- Animal shelter volunteer

Your job: Candy striper. You work in a hospital doing duties such as delivering messages to patients, filling their drinks, reading to them or assisting them during hospital discharge. You might do hospital chores such as filling linen cupboards. Duties vary from hospital to hospital. Generally you must be at least 14 and in the ninth grade.
Charity: Hospitals
On a mission to: Make patients’ hospital stays a little nicer.
Contact: Hospitals in your area to find out if they have candy striper programs.
Time commitment required: This varies between hospitals. One Midwest hospital requires a 50-hour per year commitment (this includes training). The kids get to work shifts as long or short as they like, for example two hours or six hours.
Age of volunteers: Thirteen or 14 (depends on the hospital), to 18.

Peer contact:
Candy stripers are usually about 70 percent female and 30 percent male. Also you could meet young people who are hospital patients.

Dealing with strangers:		 Oh yeah!

Taking orders from the boss:		 Depending on your maturity level, you could have a lot of freedom to complete your tasks without much reporting back to the candy striper coordinator.

Why it rocks:
One of our readers says, “I started because it would look good for college, but I love it now…knowing that I helped people get better is the best feeling in the world.”
Another reader says she got to see two babies being born.
Other contacts for this type of work: If you are over 18 you can volunteer at the hospital in other programs. Similar work can be found in nursing homes.


Your job: Nursing home visitor. You will spend time socializing with and/or helping elderly people confined in nursing homes.
Charity: Nursing homes
On a mission to:
Ease loneliness, provide a sympathetic ear, inject fun and your youthful vitality into a predictable environment.
Contact: Try:
- The Salvation Army. This organization runs facilities for the elderly. Look them up in your Business White pages, or for help, phone them (headquarters are in the UK) at +44 171 332 0101 or try http://www.salvationarmy.org/reachus.htm, the Salvation Army Web site.
- Looking up “nursing homes” in the Yellow Pages.
- Asking about visiting programs through your church or synagogue.
- Calling the United Way (1-800-411-UWAY) for places that welcome your visit.
Time commitment required: One or more hours, once a week, once a month, or periodically. Hey, you could go every day, if you like!
Age of volunteers: Little kids (yes, their parents bring them!) through retirees.

Peer contact:		 Low to moderate, higher if you go as part of a group.

Dealing with strangers:		 Unless you volunteer with friends, initially everyone will be a stranger.

Taking orders from the boss:		 Very little.

Why it rocks:
“Old people are generally fun to be around, and sometimes they’ll tell you stories about their lives. It’s really interesting,” says a reader. She adds, “It also feels good to be doing something for someone who appreciates it so much.”
International notes: The Salvation Army is active in more than 100 countries.

 

Your job: Soup kitchen server. You will dish up free chow for people who wouldn’t be eating otherwise.
Charity: A soup kitchen in your area.
On a mission to: Feed the hungry
Contact: Try:
- Looking up “soup kitchens” in your Yellow Pages.
- Asking at churches.
- Contacting your local United Way (call 1-800-411-UWAY (8929) or check out http://www.unitedway.org/, the United Way’s Web site, for help finding your local branch).
- The Salvation Army: Look them up in your Business White pages, or for help, phone them (headquarters are in the UK) at +44 171 332 0101 or try http://www.salvationarmy.org/reachus.htm, their locator Web page.
Time commitment required: You have a lot of options. You might work one evening a week or every night. You cold work one weekend a month or every weekend. Flexibility depends on demand.
Age of volunteers: Varies.

Peer contact:
You might be volunteering with others your age.

Dealing with strangers:		 You'll be serving strangers and the people in charge will be unknown to you, initially.

Taking orders from the boss:		 No, you won't be in charge. But given the simple nature of the task, it's doubtful anybody will be looking over your shoulder as you work.

Why it rocks:
It feels good once it's done, says a reader. It's a decent, kind thing to do.

 

Your job: Animal shelter volunteer. You'll feed, water and walk animals, clean cages and play with them.
Charity: Most animal shelters.
On a mission to:
Protect and place lost, abused, unwanted animals.
Contact: Look up animal shelters.
Time commitment required:
Usually this is completely up to you. Some people contribute a few hours once a week or month, others are there lovin' the li'l critters every day.
Age of volunteers: Young and old alike.

Peer contact:		 Likely but not guaranteed. In any case, not a ton.

Dealing with strangers:		 On a scale of one to 10, let's say, umm, 4 or 5.

Taking orders from the boss:		 Somebody will be in charge. Most likely it won't be you. But you'll get to work on your own a lot.

Why it rocks:		 You might meet your new best friend. One of our readers met the puppy she's adopting by volunteering at an animal shelter.
Other contacts for this type of work: Look up “animal shelters” in your Yellow Pages. Try your local Humane Society.
Time commitment required: Usually this is completely up to you. Some people contr
- Check http://www.peta-online.org/, the Web site of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).
- Check http://www.sierraclub.org/, the Sierra Club Web site.
- Check http://www.hsus.org/about/index.html, the national Humane Society of the United States Web site.