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?