Written Assignment #5 Explanatory Paper

Christine Martucci

English Composition 101

Professor Richard Dery

October 2, 2013

WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT #5

What Motivates an Individual to Volunteer or perform Community Service?

Each holiday season on the corner of every major city street you hear the familiar sound of a bell clanging loudly. Follow that sound and most likely it will be a Red Cross Volunteer. I often wonder what motivates these Re Cross Volunteers. What makes them stay out there in the cold wet snowy days and nights clanging that bell? Some people like myself on many occasion just pass them by, or if I have loose change will throw it in the big red bucket. I know what the Red Cross is; it provides disaster relief to so many people in America and around the world. I know that money is donated and raised and that the Red Cross is a non-profit organization so they need people like the ones I see on the corner, clanging that bell. Ringing in the holiday season with the gift of giving. Who are they? Why do they do it? I decided to do some research on the volunteers themselves.

I wanted to start with the Red Cross the organization itself, I believe to better understand the people in an organization especially a charity organization, you need to know what the organization does. . What does the Red Cross do?

I looked up Red Cross on the Internet and went to their web site. I was shocked to find out that the Red Cross just doesn’t donate blood with their blood drives. They also provide disaster relief, support American Military families, health and safety training and International services.

Okay I got my answer on what they do, but who does the work? Who are these people that comprise the Red Cross family? They are doctors, nurses, fire fighters, and citizens volunteering their time to help those in need. I need not think how hard all of these people work dedicating their lives to save others. Is it selfish? Does a volunteer for the Red Cross do this only to make themselves feel...