Help Mark Volunteer & Not Be Broke
Donation protected
Howdy! As many of you know I am about to embark on a trip to Greece, to the island of Lesvos, to volunteer with Lighthouse Relief , an NGO helping refugees and asylum seekers coming from the middle east. I am very excited to be a friendly face and to provide a helpful action to refugees along an arduous, painful, but ultimately, hopeful journey.
I will be working there for 2 months at least, from early October to early December. After which I will be moving to Los Angeles in January. While in Greece I will have to pay for my room, board, and transportation to Greece. Lighthouse Relief is a small NGO with limited resources and, therefore, cannot provide either to their volunteers. They say my daily expenses will be between 20-45 euros(~$25-50), approximately.
I’ll be honest, I feel pretty weird asking for money to do this. On the one hand, it feels strange, arrogant, and privileged to ask for money so that I can quit my job, go volunteer in the Greek islands, and not use a big chunk of my savings. On the other hand, for organizations that rely on volunteers, what’s the difference between donating directly to the organization and giving a volunteer a few bucks to help them donate their time to the organization? As is my general modus operandi, I’ve figured out ways to argue both sides.
So! I’ve got a proposal for all you good people that have made it this far into my self-conscious ramblings. If you decide to toss a few bucks my way I will keep only half to help defray my expenses and I will donate the other half directly to Lighthouse Relief. Or, if you don’t feel like doing that, just donate directly to Lighthouse Relief or any of the other organizations doing good work for vulnerable populations. Or, if you don’t feel like doing that, don’t do it! But I’ll include a few good organizations to donate to at the bottom of the page.
Are there any incentives? You’re damn right there are! They are extremely fancy and exclusive too. If you donate and give me your address, I will send you a 100% uniquely written postcard. Also, I will be keeping a weekly blog about my experiences. This will be available to all so if you don’t feel like donating but still want to hear about what’s happening in my brain while on the front lines of one of the busiest refugee entry-points, then you will be able to do so. Once I have that blog set up I will put a link to it on here.
Thank you so much for giving this a read and considering donating. I'm excited to get this new adventure underway and share what I experience with you all.
Peace,
Mark
Here is a link to Lighthouse Relief so you can learn more about what they do and decide if they're worth your donation, as well as a couple other NGOs doing work in Greece.
https://www.lighthouserelief.org/
https://www.rescue.org/country/greece
http://www.refugeerescue.co.uk/
I will be working there for 2 months at least, from early October to early December. After which I will be moving to Los Angeles in January. While in Greece I will have to pay for my room, board, and transportation to Greece. Lighthouse Relief is a small NGO with limited resources and, therefore, cannot provide either to their volunteers. They say my daily expenses will be between 20-45 euros(~$25-50), approximately.
I’ll be honest, I feel pretty weird asking for money to do this. On the one hand, it feels strange, arrogant, and privileged to ask for money so that I can quit my job, go volunteer in the Greek islands, and not use a big chunk of my savings. On the other hand, for organizations that rely on volunteers, what’s the difference between donating directly to the organization and giving a volunteer a few bucks to help them donate their time to the organization? As is my general modus operandi, I’ve figured out ways to argue both sides.
So! I’ve got a proposal for all you good people that have made it this far into my self-conscious ramblings. If you decide to toss a few bucks my way I will keep only half to help defray my expenses and I will donate the other half directly to Lighthouse Relief. Or, if you don’t feel like doing that, just donate directly to Lighthouse Relief or any of the other organizations doing good work for vulnerable populations. Or, if you don’t feel like doing that, don’t do it! But I’ll include a few good organizations to donate to at the bottom of the page.
Are there any incentives? You’re damn right there are! They are extremely fancy and exclusive too. If you donate and give me your address, I will send you a 100% uniquely written postcard. Also, I will be keeping a weekly blog about my experiences. This will be available to all so if you don’t feel like donating but still want to hear about what’s happening in my brain while on the front lines of one of the busiest refugee entry-points, then you will be able to do so. Once I have that blog set up I will put a link to it on here.
Thank you so much for giving this a read and considering donating. I'm excited to get this new adventure underway and share what I experience with you all.
Peace,
Mark
Here is a link to Lighthouse Relief so you can learn more about what they do and decide if they're worth your donation, as well as a couple other NGOs doing work in Greece.
https://www.lighthouserelief.org/
https://www.rescue.org/country/greece
http://www.refugeerescue.co.uk/
Organizer
Mark Pryor
Organizer
Richmond, VA
