Sometimes when you devote yourself to an evening of charitable work, you can get some great benefits in return besides the great feeling that you get knowing that you just gave of your time for a special cause. You may be wondering what I'm talking about, and I'm here to fill you in. Most people around the country know that the month of February is actually Black History Month. That means that throughout the month, many Americans, African Americans in particular, celebrate the successes of the civil rights movement. Celebrations throughout this month range from parties, to museum exhibits, to lectures, to parades. On my particular campus, which happens to boast one of the largest Black Culture Centers in the nation, we're celebrating the great accomplishments of civil rights and other Africans by a day long Africana festival. Being an Africanist myself, and a member of several groups on campus connected to the African Studies department, I've volunteered to work at the festival along with a group of my university colleagues. When I heard about the Africana festival, I jumped at the opportunity to work at it, not only because it's a great opportunity to help celebrate Black History Month, but also because it's a perfect chance to gain some exposure for our African Languages Club. One of the main goals for our group is to send members out to local schools, from elementary through high school, to raise awareness about Africa and the languages that are spoken there. Many of the Who's Who of the city will be attending the festival, so you can see where we're going with that. In addition to all this great exposure that we're going to get and all the great connections that we can potentially make, the generous festival organizers have provided us with free tickets to enjoy the many authentic African dishes that will be served for the sit down dinner during the evening. There will also be awards, presentations, a lecture, and lots of great entertainment. Just by offering to stand by our booth and promote the learning of African languages, we get an opportunity to have free exposure to all these extras, as well as partake in a delicious meal. It doesn't get much better than that!

If you're having a difficult time coming to terms with the fact that, when you volunteer, you really have to budget your time and other activities so that you can devote yourself to the charity or group that you're going to help, then finding a way to donate your time like the way that I just mentioned might be the best idea for you. These are the best types of events for people who are new to charity work or making the transition into more time-consuming or difficult work. I had mentioned previously that a lot of cities (and even some smaller towns) have websites that advertise the various festivals and activities that happen within the city limits from month to month. There is usually a particular group that is chairing the organization and implementation of the event, and they often end up looking for volunteers to help out with any number of things pertaining to the happenings of the day. A lot of times, these types of festivals offer little extras to the volunteers like the things I mentioned above. Often, they offer dinner, entertainment, or even complementary tickets for others in your family or your friends to come and enjoy the event (and visit you while you're volunteering). I urge you to search for your local chamber of commerce or parks and recreation website and see what you can find. It can be a great activity for church groups, school groups, or even a group of your closest friends.