1. You make new friends! I have made so many friends through volunteering with both my fellow volunteers and the people I serve. These friends are gems, and I know that these friendships will last a lifetime. Who doesn’t want more friends?
2. You learn so many things. Through helping people with special needs, I have learned how to replace a hearing aid battery, archery, diffuse an argument, communicate with people whose brains are a bit different from mine, keep my cool as best I can, the best way to help someone with their one piece bathing suit and much more! You will have so many things to brag about at parties! I guarantee it.
3. It humbles you. I have taken so many things for granted before I became an active volunteer. I can walk, talk, eat without assistance, dress myself and drive a car. I am competent enough to gain an education and eventually earn a living. The people I have served do not have those abilities. Group homes come to camp and drop off their residents for a week of fun. Many of these residents are my parents’ age. They do not have the independence of my parents and other adults their age. Some live with their parents, live in group homes and some are wards of the state. (They are the state government’s financial and logistic responsibility). I never thought about having to live with my parents until they die until I started working at a summer camp for people with special needs. I moved out of my parents’ house to attend college. These people, on the other hand, do not have that option. This made me realize how lucky I truly am and how I need to take what God gave me and use it to help these wonderful people.
4.It is not a thankless job in the slightest. The gratitude of these wonderful people and their parents/caregivers is always there. I have had parents give me hugs, say “God bless you,” and one even told me they were going to adopt me. I am not saying that recognition is why you should volunteer, but these parents/caregivers barely ever get a break. Nine times out of ten, they will at least thank you for your service.
5. They learn so much from you. I have helped them with arts and crafts, baseball, patience, playing fair and most importantly, having fun! One of my campers had Autism and I would always sit with him during lunch. He was not much of a talker, but every day he talked to me a bit more. We talked about his favorite TV shows, his family and anything I could think of off the top of my head. At the end of the week, I received a thank you note from him. It is one of my prized possessions, and it is physical proof that the smallest things can make an impact in these beautiful souls’ lives.
6. You learn so much from them. I have learned how to be a more loving and more caring individual. I have learned more about my strong points and what I need to work on. I know never to give up on whatever the task may be because these beautiful people will always be rooting for you. These people have the brightest spirits and the happiest of demeanors, and every single time I am around them, I catch their beautiful attitudes. They inspire me to be a better person, do what God calls me to do to the best of my ability and love like I have never loved before.
