Today’s post comes from Maria Rainier, a freelance writer and blogger.

If you’re anything like me and the rest of the world’s population, you’ve gone through some difficult times in your life.  But if you think you’re the only person who’s been affected by adversity, you could be wrong – there are people all around you who have had the same experiences.

There are even people who are struggling through the same territory you’ve already covered, and they could benefit immensely from your knowledge and experience.  It’s not easy to start a new volunteering organization, but I’ve been part of the process and I can tell you that the rewards far outweigh any difficulties you might have.

Starting a College Organization for Grieving Students

While I was earning my BA in English halfway across the country, my father found out that he had stage four lung cancer that had already spread to his bones.  My father had never smoked in his life.  He struggled with the disease for two years as it traveled up his spine to his brain, finally passing away during the summer of my junior year.  I felt that I was alone in my grief and that returning to classes would be like trying to live on a foreign planet, but thanks to another girl in a similar situation, I was able to help start a grief share and service group for the students at our university.  While searching for an apartment on a local ad page, I read her post about starting a group and immediately contacted her, grateful for someone who could understand my situation.  We met with a few other respondents and brainstormed about what the group’s purpose would be, who could join, how administration would work, and how to become an official university organization.

Overcoming Challenges

Our plan was to start a chapter of AMF (Ailing Mothers and Fathers) at our institution, but due to administrators’ concerns about the nature of our group and the risks involved, we were denied this opportunity. We were considered a “dangerous” group of students at risk for getting involved in deviant behavior, so we weren’t allowed to affiliate ourselves with an established organization. This was hurtful and potentially destructive, but we were able to re-commit ourselves to accomplishing our goal.  We drafted our own by-laws, set up our own system of administration, developed publicity campaigns, and were eventually given the privilege of calling ourselves an official organization.

Finding Ways to Serve

After the long fight to become an organization, we were faced with other challenges–finding ways to volunteer that were relevant to our group and would attract students to participate in our projects.  A key facet of our purpose was to channel our grief into accomplishing something positive for others, and we were prepared to work hard to make that happen.  We brainstormed at several meetings and consulted friends who were members of other service organizations to come up with viable ideas.  Some of the ideas that came to life were visiting nursing homes, introducing crafts and dance to hospital children’s wards, and participating in various walks to cure diseases that affected our members and their families.  I know that I did myself a great service by being a part of this group, and I like to think that others benefited from the experience as well.  So if you’re going through a difficult time in your life, reach out to find others who know your situation well, then work together to make a positive impact on the source of your pain.

Maria Rainier is a freelance writer and blog junkie. She is currently a resident blogger at First in Education, where recently she’s been researching different social work degrees and blogging about student life.  In her spare time, she enjoys square-foot gardening, swimming, and avoiding her laptop.