By Maddie Smith
You pass the sound of bells, see wrapped presents under Christmas trees, and hear of people spending their holiday evenings serving food at a local food shelter. Most people tend to associate volunteering with the holiday season, but why limit committing good deeds to only a select time of the year?
Organizations such as 4-H, Boy Scouts, and the American Red Cross, as well as the Ronald McDonald House, local food banks, and nursing homes, would undoubtedly accept your generosity any time of the year. Finding people to donate the time is difficult, as the rate of volunteerism has been gradually decreasing. A 2015 survey by the Bureau of Labor Statistics claims that only 24.9%, or roughly 62.6 million, of Americans volunteer. However, the median number of hours spent per volunteer is a modest amount of 52 hours.
Volunteering doesn’t take a substantial amount of time, and you can perform almost anywhere. For instance, parents may take part in advising a youth organization while their child participates. Church members provide support for each other and their communities. A neighborhood block may work together to collect supplies for a needy family.
The benefit of a kind action may reach your neighbors or even the other side of the globe. Throughout the relentless 2017 hurricane season, where the United States experienced four major hurricanes, several Fillmore County residents gathered resources for victims who were left without homes and daily essentials. During the prior episode of wildfires in the South, local farmers transported and donated feed and supplies to impacted farmers.
While there will be plenty of circumstantial situations to offer support, there are numerous of commonplace opportunities. Many educational, youth, religious, and community groups perform service projects. A diverse arrangement of activities can ensure to save you from boredom while you perform voluntarily duties. An outdoor-type of a person may take an interest in helping a city, state, or national park. Perhaps you prefer to work directly with children or community members. Consider contacting your local animal shelter, library, community center, museum, school, food shelter, or nursing home to search for regular opportunities to tutor, assist with maintenance, fundraise, or connect with the public.
Whether or not volunteering is something you have spent a significant amount your time committing to, there are undeniable advantages in taking initiative. Not only does the individual, group, or community you contribute to experience your compassion and achieve their own goals, but so do you. Not only does volunteering help individuals become civically engaged and aware of public issues, but it provides a source of personal growth. Networking with other community members creates enthusiasm, builds values, and fosters hope. It provides perspective about problems others face, which you have the opportunity to work towards solving. The leadership skills and appreciation for your own fortune gained is worth more than any paycheck. It would be an understatement to say offering services for another without compensation is one of the most rewarding experiences.
One of the greatest gifts you can give to another is your time. “No one can do everything, but everyone can do something,” (unknown). Once you become involved in volunteering, it will become a pastime you will never want to give up. Though no single person can solve the world’s problem, any one person can make a difference, which is enough to change the world.
Challenge yourself to spend one hour of volunteering at a local organization. If each person were to spend a mere 60 minutes of their time, our world would be taking a step in the right direction. As Helen Keller once said, “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”
Maddie Smith is a student at Fillmore Central High School. She is one of eight area students participating in the Journal Writing Project, now in its 20th year.
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