You sometimes reap unexpected rewards from volunteering. My daughter is used to working full time and found she had some time on her hands when they moved to NZ and she no longer needed to work. She volunteers at Riding for the Disabled and has made a host of new friends, and the woman who organises it has invited her to ride with her on her 240 acre ranch and is giving her advanced riding lessons. She hadn't ridden since she sold her horse when she was a teenager and is loving every minute of it. Her daughter, aged 14, and son, aged 13, are also volunteering and enjoy mucking out, grooming the horses and making friends with the disabled children.
She has always been an active member of her community, being a school governor, playgroup helper, etc. and her children have also volunteered during their six-form years. They were helping children with learning difficulties and really enjoyed it. It looks good on their CV too!
I volunteered for the Adult Literacy Scheme and taught Basic Maths when I was teaching. I was treasurer or secretary of the Guides, the Riding Club, and the PTA at each school my girls attended. It was noticeable that the mothers who volunteered (and some Dads) were mainly in full time jobs - the stay at home mums said they were too busy. I did wonder whether it was just that they lacked the confidence of the working mothers. My sister, who has never worked outside the home, used to say often that somebody should be doing something for the young people in her neighbourhood, but was astonished when I suggested that she might do something herself.
The only thing I could volunteer for here in France would be giving English conversation classes at the local school, but I am reluctant to be committed on a regular basis to anything, as I am so often away from home.