The Hidden Rewards of Volunteering

Justin “Dabble” Viens was in search of more ways to fulfill his day-to-day life when he stumbled across First Descents. As an avid photographer, he jumped at the opportunity to join a weeklong FD program as a volunteer photographer. This past June, Dabble joined us on a rock climbing program for healthcare workers in the Adirondacks, working alongside FD Lead Staff and our trusted guides at Alpine Endeavors. He left the program with a profound sense of purpose and fulfillment. 

We asked Dabble what it’s like to volunteer on a weeklong FD program:

How did you first hear about FD, and what made you decide to join a program?

I was curious about nonprofit organizations in Denver with openings and came across First Descents in the search results. FD had some job openings, so I pulled up the website and saw that they had photography volunteer positions available.

I am passionate about three things in life:

1. Encouraging people to try new things and push their limits through new experiences
2. Photography 
3. Rock climbing

When I learned that I could volunteer and have an impact that combined these interests, I immediately submitted an application.

What day-to-day tasks were you responsible for?

My role for the week was the volunteer paparazzi (photographer if you will) — documenting and capturing the experience. My primary role was capturing the special moments of the trip: taking pictures of participants rock climbing, hanging out in groups, and enjoying family-style dinner. As a photographer, it was my job to make sure participants were able to appreciate the week without feeling the need to use their phones (taking pictures of them doing cool things so they could just enjoy the moment). 

When I wasn’t taking photos, I was making sure everyone felt comfortable, or I was doing dishes. There were lots of dishes to be done. The kitchen often turned into a dance party, and I quickly came to appreciate doing the dishes. 

What was the highlight of your experience?

My Adirondacks FD experience was full of growth, positivity, living in the moment, and building others up.

The first highlight of my experience was seeing the growth on the walls and the excitement at the crags. There were a handful of participants who had rock climbed before, but most had never climbed up a rock in their life. To see the change in just a couple of days from folks being nervous about climbing to stoked and absolutely crushing it up the wall was so inspiring. 

The second highlight is the community — these participants had never met before, but by day two on the wall, they were giving each other encouragement, advice and high fives; at dinner, they were sharing fun stories; at campfire, they highlighted other people who lifted them up or did something special that day. 

To summarize, the highlight of my experience was being truly present, optimistic and vulnerable with a group of individuals with no judgement for a week.

What did you take away from your experience?

The biggest thing I took away from my experience was newfound confidence and a new perspective on life. Before the program I was a bit anxious about life – I didn’t have a job at the time and didn’t know what I wanted to do. 

My experience during the program — prioritizing eating healthy, getting 8 hours of sleep, exercising every day, building community, focusing on the positives and being creative — made me realize that I have not been living the life I want. A week of not overthinking and living in each moment helped me realize that my life can actually be really good, even in times of discomfort. 

I am now more excited about life. I’ve been focusing on building the life I want instead of getting stuck in the societal/corporate expectations. There is nothing that is getting in my way now. I have been more comfortable living in the moment and have had several breakthroughs since my time in the Adirondacks. The community that is FD is absolutely incredible. I left the program with a supportive, encouraging family that has given me so much energy to live life more fully.

What inspired your nickname?

I tend to “dabble” in activities, interests and hobbies. 

The staff and volunteers were all out at dinner the night before the program started, and we were working through questions and stories to find a good nickname for me. For most of the questions that they asked, I answered with “yes,” “a little bit,” or “on occasion.” There were two or three questions that I answered with “I dabble,” and from that moment on my name became Dabble.

When asked what I do, I tend to answer “a little bit of everything.” 

Do I play instruments? I’ve played some instruments at least in passing, including the guitar, piano, ukulele, violin and drums. 

Do I play sports? Yes. Anything to keep me active. I love volleyball, tennis and pickleball.

Do I have hobbies? Rock climbing, snowboarding, paddleboarding, hiking and more.

Do I make things? I have an apparel brand. I want to write books. I like to make songs on the piano.

Do I do adventure things? I’ve been skydiving, whitewater rafting, bull riding, etc.

Do I _____? I dabble.

What advice would you give someone who is considering an FD program?

In two words: Do it. 

If I were to elaborate: The advice I would give to someone who is considering a First Descents program, as either a participant or volunteer, is that you won’t regret it. The week felt like a purpose-built outdoor adventure camp, and by the time I left, I felt like I had a brand new family that I could lean on for anything in life. 

I’ve seen the impact of the program in my life and in the lives of several of the participants. I flew home feeling a new sense of self, purpose and connection.