About our guest author: Melody Starya Mobley’s experiences as the first black woman serving as a forester for the USDA are remarkable: both for the firsts she embodies and for the years of abuse and oppression she experienced within that system.
Now, Melody shares her personal stories to create positive change for groups historically excluded from accessing American natural spaces.
With the few federal protections that exist currently being stripped away, it’s more important than ever for stories like these to be told. To read more of Melody’s writing, visit her website.
Image credit: Kirth Bobb
I have clinical depression, and it took a while to find a treatment plan that offers some relief. When I did, I was thirsty for volunteer work even though my back and knee pain made it difficult to find the right fit.
Volunteer “sampling” is a great way to find the right fit.
It’s always been important to me to show kids that scientists can look like me, so I started with a position in an elementary school science laboratory. As an assistant, I was teaching in the classroom as a scientist. This was an urban school with a lot of racial diversity. It was delightful to see students’ eyes get wide with surprise as they saw a successful Black female scientist and pioneer.
At other points, I did more work with young people. I volunteered to work with fourth and fifth grade Montessori students teaching mathematics and science; many times, I just took them outside for an activity right on their campus. When I worked with Boys and Girls Club members, we also spent most of our time outdoors in local parks and meeting rehabilitated animals.
I strongly believe it’s vital for young people to spend time outside. It’s delightful to watch their wide eyes sparkle. And many of my young friends had never even visited their local parks, so they thought they’d see lions and tigers and bears, oh my. But actually going to the parks brought these kids to life: they were enchanted with simple activities like keying out tree species or using an increment borer to determine tree age.
I also believe it’s important to serve on the Boards of Directors for civic organizations. I served on Boards for several groups, including EcoAction Arlington, Virginia Native Plant Society, and the Board of Commissioners.
Along with volunteering as a youth mentor and a civic contributor, I wanted to serve people who were suffering through end-of-life issues like depression and chronic pain, so I spent some time in hospice work sitting with terminal patients. Even though it was rewarding to ease their suffering with simple acts of community and compassion, I only did it for one year because it made my own clinical depression return.
I moved instead to Meals on Wheels work with the county. Most of the clients were severely infirm and would smile with delight when we arrived with what was most often their only meal of the day—and also their only person-to-person human contact for the day. It was obvious that they were truly delighted to see us.
So many opportunities, so many rewards.
After this sampling of volunteer opportunities, I found they all were the right fit. I loved working with the students; taking a child out to a park and seeing their urban eyes light up was magical. While the hardest one was the hospice work because it was so hard to lose people I had come to love, it felt the most beneficial because I could make someone feel better just by sitting quietly or brushing their hair or playing music. Landing on just one volunteer position hasn’t really been right, and a mix of volunteer spaces is what I need.
The magic in volunteer work is the management of my clinical depression through time spent with other people. It’s so hard to manage and it’s always up and down, but when I finally found a workable balance, it meant I could embrace life again.
I believe volunteer service is as important as paid work. It lifts one’s spirits. It provides training and many networking opportunities. And it has many other benefits that should not be discounted—like the connections we form with our communities.
“I believe volunteer service is as important as paid work.” – Melody Starya Mobley
Read more of Melody’s writings
on the American Green blog.