Volunteer Your Time

volunteersBecoming a volunteer is a huge step in helping out your fellow man. You may choose to do it for a variety of different reasons. It can be done in an effort to enhance the skills you want to build or to give others a helping hand when they need it the most. When you volunteer your time, you will quickly discover that it unites you with others and provides challenges that are very rewarding.

Amp Up Your Skills

Let’s say that you are considering a job as a caregiver for elders. Which do you think will look more impressive on a resume: that you studied in a classroom or that you volunteer three days a week at a local nursing home to gain experience? There are many jobs available that can have the same need. You are automatically more qualified because you have hands-on experience that your future employer can see.

Start Volunteering 

Build Your Community

volunteer trash cleanupAnother reason that people volunteer, and perhaps one of the most selfless, is volunteering in the community. Spending time in a homeless shelter, picking up trash in the park, and much more can make you feel more like a part of the community. It will also allow you to say that you are doing all you can to help your fellow man.

Just consider, if you spend one weekend cleaning up the park, more people can go there and enjoy their time in it. If you volunteer your time every week or two, eventually others may join in on your efforts. Eventually, the park will be spotless and people will do more to help ensure that it stays that way.

Benefits of Volunteering

volunteer teachersThere are also several benefits of helping others that may be surprising to you. These benefits go beyond the skills and what you do for others. Volunteering benefits include:

  • Making New Friends
  • Increases Happiness
  • Relieves Stress
  • Combats Depression
  • Boosts Self-Confidence
  • Increases Physical Health
  • Renews Your Sense of Purpose

In short, the more you volunteer your time, the more you will discover about yourself. The more you will enjoy knowing that you are a part of the solution.

Start Volunteering Today!

There are many ways you can volunteer your time. You can volunteer to work with your child’s teacher, plan a food drive, provide roadside cleanup, agree to visit elders in local nursing homes, and so much more. Volunteering is not something you have to do all the time. Just a few hours a week, if you are able, will be enough. Once you have made it a habit, it will become something that you feel very satisfied with doing.

To start volunteering, you only have to decide what it is that will be most satisfying to you as a person. Often libraries are run by volunteers. If you love books, you can request to be there. There are consignment shops and church group thrift shops that stay open because of the people who volunteer their time. Volunteer firefighters, neighborhood watch volunteers, pet shelter volunteers, and more are all an option. Which one will you choose?

Safety Considerations While Volunteering

volunteering to build housesWe all know that volunteering is a great idea. It offers you the opportunity to “give back” to the community through helping those who may not always be able to help themselves. What most people do not think about is the safety of it, especially when you are creating things for that other person. We strongly urge you to think about all the safety considerations while volunteering your services.

Safety Matters for Volunteers

building home safeAsk someone about the benefits of volunteering and chances are good, the list is going to be quite long. You are helping out others. You provide food for homeless. Clothing for families that may have lost everything. You may be building them a home after a fire or circumstances that were unforeseen.

We don’t really consider our personal safety when we volunteer. We take chances. We may go to someone’s home that we do not know to bring them something we created and it fail in some way. There are times we may prepare a meal without considering their allergies. It isn’t always going to turn out badly, but it could. When it does, the person may be very forgiving. Understanding that we are there to help them and meant no harm, but not always.

Something bad in this way, could lead to lawsuits and other negative consequences that will bite you for simply trying to help.

Concerns for the One You Help

foodsafe epoxy countertopYou aren’t the only one who is placing your trust in others. Let’s say you volunteer to build cabinets in a home for someone. If you build it so that the top cabinets fall two weeks later, that poses danger for the person who lives in that home. The homeowner has to have trust in you and you have to be able to meet their expectations. A house, must be built with safety features in mind whether you work for Habitat for Humanity or some other charity “home building” volunteer project.

You may have the simplest job of all, putting in counter tops that are affordable, yet nice. This is something that can be done with wood or tile or any other surface material. Would you cover it with stain, leave it bare, or apply a coat of food safe epoxy?

In our experience, the epoxy is the best choice since it applies a glass like coating that is virtually impenetrable. You need to make sure it is food safe though so that the person isn’t eating chemicals if they put salad makings on their counters.

If you are preparing foods, you know that nuts are often concerning for a lot of people. Avoid nuts and keep your seasoning to as little as possible. They can always add more if it is needed.

Volunteering Safety Makes a Difference

It may seem as though we are paranoid, but it helps to play it safe. Bad things happen sometimes. We get in a rush or we fail to see that there could be a potential for problems. NO one thinks, “If I volunteer someone could end up hurt.” We simply want you to make sure that you have all your bases covered. Then, we urge you to volunteer all you can-safely.

 

Volunteer As An Adventure Guide

Everyone knows that volunteering is something that we can do. Volunteers help out in situations where they are needed the most. It is done without pay, just for the love of doing something good for the community or in support of a cause. Some of the most common volunteering programs are for housing or food services. For instance, homeless shelters or Habitat for Humanity. We say those are awesome causes, but why not volunteer as an adventure guide and truly express your personality?

What Is an Adventure Guide?

rock climb adventuresThere is an adventurous person inside us all. We just sometimes need to find a way to show it. The adventure guide’s task is to help people learn how to explore and live out adventures safely. They are the ones who may take a group of people rafting down a river, skydiving from a plane, or hiking through extreme areas.

While adventuring with others, it is important that the guide be knowledgable of the sport or adventure. It is also good if they know about the area. People skills, humor, and a love of adventures are also qualities that an adventure guide must have.

How to Become an Adventure Guide?

river adventure guideBasically, anyone who wants to enjoy the great outdoors can become an adventure guide. The key is being in a location that provides a place for exploration. This is not always something you have to do for “free” or as a volunteer, but the pay scale for it will vary depending on your experience and skills as well as the type of adventures you provide to others.

The opportunities that it opens up to some people are quite fascinating. You can learn more about the types of rewards that taking part in it have to offer by viewing this interview with two Colorado adventure guides. This couple has figured out the perks and not so perky parts of being guides. For the most part, they wouldn’t trade their lifestyle for any other.

Where Will Your Adventures Take You?

Adventures can take place anywhere. All you need is an outdoor space and a plan for adventures that others will want to take part in. If you have a plan, you can succeed. Most people want to go adventuring, but don’t know where to start. You can give them a start.

Begin by developing your skills. The more skilled you are at rock climbing or river rafting, the more your services will be useful. Although it is fun to take part in many different adventures, your primary focus should be on one thing. You can use that one thing to market yourself and point out that you are also able to do other things.

Beyond that, keep your people skills building. You may need to laugh and joke with people that you have never met before. You cannot do this if you aren’t sure how to socialize.

However, there is a type of adventure guide that we do not speak of often. It is the adventure guide who simply travels the world to tell others about the things they have seen. This can be just as rewarding for some people.

Community Build Projects

home building community projectsWe all know that volunteering time can benefit everyone involved. It benefits the person who receives your help, it helps the community you live in to be a better place. It can even help you grow as a person. The thing is, most of us are not sure where or how to get involved with volunteer opportunities. If this is something that is so far hindering your ability, we suggest that you consider focusing on community build projects.

Community Projects to Consider

wounded warriorsAdmittedly, there are always opportunities to volunteer at homeless shelters passing out foods to those who otherwise wouldn’t have a solid meal. You can sometimes volunteer at your local library or similar things. These projects are good. They are helpful. However, if you really want to make improvements, building projects within the community is where most people gain ultimate satisfaction.

These are the projects that include volunteering time with Habitat for Humanity, building homes for Wounded Warriors, and more. These projects allow you and others to come together. Everyone puts real effort into not only providing something a person needs, but changing that person’s life for the better. You help a person who may feel that they have nothing and give them the world.

What Goes Into Build Projects?

community build projectsTypically, a large company will provide the funding for home build projects through Habitat or Wounded Warrior. They may even hire special crews to build the framework, but this is not always the case. If you are not good at building walls, you may be better off as a finisher for the project. Your time volunteering, will not cost you money. Instead, you will be able to focus on completing the build.

Painting the home, installing fixtures or plumbing, donating furniture or other types of projects will all go into this single community effort by volunteers. In some cases, you may even be able to refinish old furniture using special products like Odie’s Oil. There are Odie’s Oil ingredients that darken wood as it ages, which can make a brand new home feel homier. You can even focus your attention on landscaping if that is something you enjoy. With these projects, it does not matter what part of the build you take part in. It only matters that you are there to do it.

Change Your World on Home at a Time

People from all walks of life come together on community build projects. Company owners may put forth the cash or electricians or plumbers may put forth the skills. There may be average families who take part in it as a way to help the world and senior citizens who just want to know that they are still able to be a part of something good. There are many reasons for getting involved. No matter what your reasons are or who you are, you can change the world. We promise you will feel as though you have conquered the impossible when your community build project changes the lives of those who need it the most. Are you ready to get involved and change the world?