Did you know this week the U.S. celebrates National Volunteer Week? It’s a weeklong celebration dedicated to the power that volunteering can have in our lives and our communities. So let’s chat community service for a second. We invest in a lot of things in life: our spouses, our children, ourselves, our finances, etc. But have you ever thought about investing in your community and giving back to where you live? One way to invest in your community is to volunteer in it. It may sound cliche but volunteering truly can change lives and entire communities.
Community service–or investing in our communities–helps foster active citizenship and builds communities where its citizens thrive and are more united. It’s critical to a community’s success. But it also has some pretty amazing benefits for individuals: it teaches us, and our children, to build relationships outside of our normal circles, builds self-confidence, increases gratitude and happiness, keeps depression at bay, and may even help us live longer. Seriously. There are studies that show just that.
Unfortunately, community service often takes a backseat to other things in our busy lives. Plus, many of us often think that if we volunteer in one area of our life, such as church, that we’ve done our duty. But serving in your community is vital to its well-being (and maybe even your own). Plus, it might be easier than you think.
Challenge #4: Volunteer Your Time and Talents
Make volunteering in your community a consistent part of your life. Don’t make excuses. Just do it. We’ve got some ideas to keep it simple.
For starters, obviously volunteering should be something that’s helpful and beneficial to others, but honestly, it can also be something that’s fun. So start there. Name one thing you’re good at or enjoy. Just one thing. What’s something you’re passionate about as either an individual or a family? Is it sports? Look into volunteering at a local rec center or a community center coordinating basketball games or another sporting event. Do you love sewing or crafting? Make blankets for a children’s home or for newborns in underserved areas. Are you passionate about healthy living? Offer to teach classes at nursing homes or underserved community centers on living a healthy lifestyle, nutrition, exercising, etc. If you have a soft spot for animals, look into volunteering at an animal shelter. The possibilities are endless.
Next, take a look at where you live. What’s a need in your community? Do you live in an area with regular natural disasters, such as hurricanes or flooding? What can you do to help during those times? Get on an email list with the Red Cross so that when a need arises, you’ll know just what to do. Is there a woman’s shelter, a homeless shelter, or another entity that is consistently in need of some help? Give them a call and find out what their real needs are and ways you can help on a regular basis.
Whatever you choose, make it a priority, a regular habit. Get your whole family involved. Make it something you do together. You’ll make some pretty awesome memories, reap some awesome benefits, and make a difference in the process. It’s a win-win all around.
Putting it to Action
Option 1: Decide as a family something you’re passionate about, talents that you have, things you enjoy (see examples above), etc. and come up with a way you can share that talent in a volunteer capacity. Make some phone calls or send some emails and make it happen.
Option 2: If you’re not sure where your interest lie, but you know you want to do something, check out volunteer websites like Just Serve. Depending on your area, there may be several volunteer opportunities listed that you can choose from. Read them aloud as a family and if you’ve got kids, let them choose what to do. It’ll be more likely to impact them for the good if they have a say in it.
Option 3: Come up with your own service project or service group in your area. Find a need in your community and get to work. An awesome friend in my town put together a group called “Moms Making a Difference.” There were around 20 of us and every month we each took a turn coming up with a service project for the group to do. One friend had us bring supplies and we organized busy bags for our hospital’s children’s wing. Another friend organized a clothing drive for some veteran’s in need and another had us stuff stockings for children in the hospital during the Christmas season. Serving together is a great way to get to know new people and strengthen old friendships.
