Get on your feet, and grab a family member, a friend, a colleague, or a group of people and say, "Let's go volunteer and make a difference." I guarantee every person will say "Let's do it." Volunteering is one of the few activities that only has upside. You will feel better knowing you've made a difference in a single person's life or a whole community's, and those you help will be more than grateful. Volunteering is rewarding. Volunteering is appreciated. Volunteering is fun!
"Volunteering is hard to get involved in." Time and time again I hear this. Don't make excuses! There are so many simple and easy ways to get involved in small or large volunteering opportunities. Let's start with the "how" of getting involved. There are two types of volunteering in my mind, and I assure you that your village, town, or city has plenty of occasions when you can volunteer. The first kind is small time commitment. These include Midnight Runs or Soup Kitchens. For you as the volunteer, the time commitment might only be a few hours per week or month. The second kind is large time commitment. These include, after school day-care, Meals On Wheels, and my personal favorite, Habitat For Humanity. In this case, volunteering can be a daily activity!
"But I don't know anyone who has volunteered, any tips?" Actually, in my life I've volunteered for over 1,100 hours, and I'm a mere 19 years old. Let me explain to you just how easy it is to make a difference. My first "bunch up" of volunteer hours came in high school. All I did was look at my school's after-school activities, and one caught my eye. I said to myself, "It's just to work with a local organization to supervise and feed children after school while their parents are work, maybe I'll like it." Little did I know I'd end up doing this for 5 hours a week for the next 45 weeks. I fell in love with it to be plain and simple. The next time I decided to start volunteering again was the summer of my freshman year in college. I had nothing to do, so I just looked up volunteer opportunities in my area. Yes, it's really that simple. I found Habitat For Humanity and decided to make one phone call, yes one call, and within a week, I was volunteering on build sites. I got hooked on it, and now I've done 800+ hours of volunteering with solely Habitat For Humanity.
"Is it really worth it? Why volunteer? What's the point?" Oh boy, you're in for a treat. Volunteering is possibly one of the most rewarding activities life has to offer. Taking care of a child while his parents are at work, delivering food to the elderly or someone who has lost their home in a fire, or even building a Habitat home for a veteran. All of these are heart-warming for you as the volunteer, and the individuals in need that you help are more than grateful and appreciative. It is a win-win situation. Every. Single. Time. You'll never regret volunteering, I promise you that.
Wake up every morning and say, "I'm going to help someone in need today." Whether that be buying a homeless person a sandwich or a soda, or building the roof of a Habitat home, do good for someone in need every day, and don't look back.
