Other Interests of author Anita Alan

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful,
committed citizens can change the world;
indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.
Margaret Mead

Other Interests

Paula Walling Regardless of where you are in the world, volunteer opportunities abound. Hospitals rely on a cadre of volunteers. Museums, libraries, parks, aquariums, animal shelters, and many other places find volunteers essential. Many could not open their doors without dedicated docents and volunteer guides. When you volunteer, you enrich not only your community, but your own life. If you are old enough to read this, you're old enough to volunteer in some capacity. Where? That's the good news. Wherever your interest takes you! Volunteering helps young people develop skills, and mature people enhance them. It requires you to become knowledgeable about specific areas so that you can interpret to others who are interested.

Other Interests When I am not writing, I enjoy volunteering at two lighthouses: Point Sur State Historic Monument in Big Sur, California on the West Coast of the United States, where I give three hour walking tours of the Light Station, and at Point Pinos Lighthouse in Pacific Grove, California. I also serve as a volunteer guide for the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Visitors from every nation come to these places, and I'm delighted to be one of the many who welcome them to our country. In our area, the Monterey Peninsula of California, we hold many events to raise money for organizations that help others. Places I've volunteered on an annual or periodic basis include the Carmel Bach Festival, the Big Sur Marathon, the Big Sur River Run, Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, Boy Scouts of America, ATT Golf Tournament, US Open, and Bring Me A Book Foundation. I enjoy helping Friends of Carmel Unified Schools, which raises money for the school district where I taught for many years; I served on their board of directors for five years. One of my favorite volunteer jobs, and one I kept for ten years, involved videotaping runners for the Big Sur International Marathon from atop the Big Sur Volunteer Fire Brigade fire truck.

I enjoy visiting friends and relatives in and outside California, and also love visiting lighthouses whenever I can, a hobby of sorts. I've been to most lighthouses on the West Coast, to 20 of the 46 in Maine, and others on the East Coast. Each isolated lighthouse has its own unique terrestrial and maritime history. The Great Lakes area of the US has over 300 lighthouses, so I think that hobby will keep me busy climbing for quite some time.

I enjoy to visiting museums and galleries, going to plays, concerts, and operas. So, when I'm not reading or writing, these are a few of the things that keep me learning about the world. To find out more about some places , events, and people I value, click on the links below. If you're local, check for volunteer opportunities. Join our merry band. If not, find out ways volunteering can help in your own community.

Below are some of the places and organizations I support and/or where I volunteer:

If you want to build a ship, don't drum up the women and men
to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders.
Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.
Antoine de Saint-Exupery