Things to Consider About Volunteering

by Filed Under: Chris Novinger

It is a new year and that calls for resolutions to strive to stay in line with for the next 52 weeks. There are many common ones to better oneself, like going to the gym, or running a certain amount of miles every week. But how about undertaking a resolution that will not only help yourself, but others. Volunteering is a noble, selfless cause that fills every party involved with a sense of purpose and generosity. While you are pondering how to get involved in the volunteering world, remember these five things before you dive in.10222419356_9ad4bf529c_h

Know what you want to get out of your volunteered time.
Volunteering is about giving back, that is root of the entire action, but many volunteers bring home a number of intangible things with them. Volunteers can take away a learned skill from working with their hands, fundraising, or event planning. There are always the volunteers who want to help a problem in the community so they get to work and bring home a sense of community.

Know what to give.
“Just getting involved” is a common entry phrase for volunteers. Knowing what you want to put in, whether it be a skill or just manpower, can help you have that sense of purpose in a volunteer effort. When not having a plan for what you want to give to a cause can leave you feeling out of place and unfulfilled.

Know your commitment level.
Never over promise time. Be realistic with the time you can give and be honest to organizers. Humans have a tendency to want to please everyone but in volunteer efforts, its better to be upfront and honest about how much time can be given.

Know where to get involved.
Research the best ways to get involved in a cause that you feel passionate about. If you do not have one of those causes in mind, take to the internet and search for what organizations there are and how they can use your help.

Connect with the volunteering world.
Ask fellow volunteers how they got involved, how much time they spend, why they do it. Having a connection of volunteers is a great way to share and receive information about initiatives and motivations behind the rest of the volunteering world.

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What Regular Volunteering Can Do For You

by Filed Under: Chris Novinger

Volunteering is a gift, one that serves not just the receiver of the free labor, or extra time, but it is a gift for those who volunteer. Skeptical to the truth of this statement? Here are seven reasons why helping others helps everyone involved.volunteer20graphic

Millions of people volunteer every year and do so habitually. Many people would ask, why give away time for free when you can be making money or some other value added kick back from your efforts. It simply makes the people who do the volunteering feel great about themselves when they see the good that they did. Knowledge of doing good is a strong feeling when it is directly making someone else’s day better. This is what these volunteers take away from them at the end of the day, it may not be money but it is well worth something.

Happiness:
The study of brain function has shown that when we help others our brains light up in the areas that are associated with happiness. It releases dopamine and serotonin. It provides with greater purpose that is transformed into happiness and tranquility.

Stress Reduction:
Along with the happiness hormones, we release a hormone that insulates the stress factor, cortisol. This is called oxytocin and it is coupled with dopamine to promote trust and peacefulness.

Pain Relief:
Volunteering has been proven to reduce pain indices from those with chronic pain problem. The activity takes the mind off of pain and provides activity which can often help the circulation of blood which can be linked to pain reduction.

Lengthen Lifetime:
The reduction of stress and activity can contribute to the 40 studies that confirm history of volunteering have shown a 22% decrease in mortality rate. How much is considered enough to lengthen your life? About 25 hours a year will do the trick.

Benefits to Your Professional Career:
Citing the Halo Effect by John Raynolds, volunteering can affect your work life by way of osmosis. Becoming involved in something that does not directly reward you puts in place a work ethic that is magnified when you are in a reward oriented system. This yields a better performance from you, plus employers like to see volunteer history on a resume.

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Giving back to Volunteers

by Filed Under: Chris Novinger

National Philanthropy day fell on Thursday, October 30th this year and Meals on Wheels chose to celebrate the occasion by honoring Donna Harrington at the Omni Hotel in Fort Worth, Texas. The recognized Philanthropy day is set on the calendar each year to honor great acts of charity within communities.Meals_on_Wheels_HotShot

This year’s honoree, Harrington was the focal point of the event in which 500 people attended. She has given much to the community through her efforts in the Meals on Wheels organization. Donna has spent countless hours, twice a week, delivering meals in her car. Not only does he deliver for MOW’s she consistently makes donations in honor of clients and other volunteers, to the organization.

What sets Harrington apart is the genuine pleasure she gets out of giving back to the community and seeing her donations be put to good use.

Meals on wheels is a national web of over 5,000 Senior Nutrition Programs, operating out of all 50 states. Supported by 2 million volunteers, the organization provides hot meals, caring sentiment and wellness checks to 2.5 million seniors who are living on their own. Recently, Meals on Wheels received a $5 million donation from the Walmart Foundation for their “We are Meals on Wheels Project”. That program was focused on grant building, public awareness, senior nutrition education, and Training Wheels Association.

 

 

 

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