Volunteering enables an individual to make a positive impact on his or her community, while empowering the individual to better his or her life. This summer, I had the opportunity to volunteer at many diverse locations. From the hospital to the local library, I truly value my experience and treasure everything it has thought me. Volunteering lets us experience and learn things that we otherwise would not have learned; volunteering opens doors for us that we may not have been able to open before. Volunteering provides us with guidance and tolerance which we may use in the future to aid us in our decisions. At first glance, volunteering may seem to only benefit those who are helped, but on a deeper level, one can realize that volunteering benefits the volunteer as much as, if not more than, those who are helped. Not only does volunteering make a difference in one’s community, but it also helps the volunteer become a smarter, happier, friendlier and more caring individual. Volunteering enables a person to develop new skills that he or she would otherwise not have been able to develop. Unlike most other organizations, a charitable organization is happy to give positions to passionate, though inexperienced, individuals who desire to help others and benefit the community. Therefore, an individual with little experience in a field of work can gain meaningful skills that he or she can use in the future. For example, while I volunteered at the hospital this summer, I learned about the daily work lives and professional duties of doctors and nurses. Had I not volunteered, I would not have learned about these things. I was always interested in the medical field, but volunteering at the hospital let me explore my interests and en... ... middle of paper ... ...teer experience. I highly recommend volunteering to anyone, because of all the great things it will teach and because of the positive impacts it make on one’s life. Volunteering will teach an individual many of life’s greatest lessons, and lets an individual grow into a better person. Volunteering teaches to let go of their ignorance and false notions of world problems and lets the volunteer learn about the real, and sometimes unattractive, condition of people in the world. Many people think that one person cannot make a difference in the world, but volunteering teaches a person to at least try to make a difference in one person’s life and to build on that. Additionally, volunteering teaches a person to be leader who can inspire others to volunteer. Volunteering is an incredibly didactic experience that will forever inspire the volunteer to be a better person.
As a non-academic pursuit, I have volunteered at a Vera Davis community family source center for nearly four years. Volunteering at this facility has helped me develop critical thinking skills, as well as social and professional skills. Within this center I have the responsibility to provide free resources to people in need. For example, free food giveaway, distribution of bus tokens, computer services, taxes, and tutoring for children K-12. Throughout my experience at Vera Davis I learned uncountable values and boundaries that transforms socialization to a different level. I enjoy being around people because they make me feel alive, but most importantly because I know that by helping them I am improving as a person. Vera Davis evoked a deep
It helps a person make new friends and it is good for increasing the number of people one can fall back to when they need someone to listen to their problems. It is also helpful with building one’s social and relationship skills. “[Volunteer service] gives [a person] the opportunity to practice and develop social skills” (Saisan and Smith). Another benefit is that it is good for one’s physical and mental well-being. “Volunteering can provide a healthy boost to your self-confidence, self-esteem, and life satisfaction.”
Volunteering is productive. It also gives a satisfying feeling, knowing that one is helping people in need. Last year, in the process of getting confirmed in the Catholic Church, this writer preformed charity work such as serving food to homeless people at the Dorothy Day House. At first it seemed that doing charity work would be boring, but it was actually fun, helped people, and made a difference in their lives.
Growing up, my parents and other influential figures around me modelled the importance of community service through their continual volunteer work and dedication to improving the world around them. Whether it be participation in a well-attended project or persistent contribution to a helpful organization, those aforementioned individuals were formative in guiding me towards a path filled with opportunities for having an impact on my community.
My most significant and meaningful volunteer experience came when I was the assistant coach for Pinewood Preparatory School’s Junior Varsity baseball team. On the team I helped the student athletes learn how to become better baseball players and, in turn, helped them to become harder workers, which hopefully allowed them to do better in school. One instance in which this were most profound was when, after getting onto a player named “Dalton” for his laziness when it came to running the accustomed after practice sprints, I had got through to him that nothing was going to be easy when it came to baseball or school. This was, in fact, his first year playing baseball and for being a first timer, he was actually quite good at it, and through his
I saw in Egypt a city full of dirt and debris cleaning itself up; a city whose citizens became full of pride to say that they are from Alexandria and a city that is changing. Through volunteerism change is happening around the world, from the Middle East and Eastern Europe to Massachusetts. Through volunteerism a community is strengthening and pride is growing. That is the true impact of volunteerism. I started volunteering nine years ago and I was doing so without considering its impact and accepting what people told me. It wasn’t until five months ago that I got to witness and realize the impact of volunteering. It took me eight years and seven months to discover that the impact of volunteerism is more than what I was told. It took me eight years and seven months to understand that volunteerism impacts
I learned about the importance of giving back at the age of 11yr old and putting the very important needs of others in front of my own. Volunteering in a homeless shelter at a young age opened my eyes. Where I was placed to give food, clothes, money & hygiene products to people in need. Where would I be right now without the help of God, my mother, family& friends and the church community”. Giving a helping hand to the people in the community is Something we should always do. In the ("bible Acts 20:35 says in everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the lord Jesus himself said: it is more blessed to give than to receive"). Having a compassionate heart for the community blesses the congregation.
When a person contributes to their community, they gain more than a just a sense of accomplishment. The experience a person gets in return from helping the community is invaluable. It is a mutually beneficial experience. A person who helps those in need gains knowledge and experience that can help them in future endeavors.
First, I argued that volunteering helps students boost their resume. Volunteering shows employers that the student is well-rounded and altruistic; the skills that the student learns in volunteering can be used in their future careers. Secondly, I discussed the benefits that volunteering has on one’s body and mind, both physically and mentally. Students who volunteer have lower mortality rates, greater functional ability, and lower rates of depression later in life than those who do not volunteer. Finally, I proved how volunteering betters the community as a whole. Being at college is a community in itself, therefore, volunteering through the programs that your individual college offers is a great way to become
Some people volunteer to gain career experience, to build their resume. Develop skills or learn new ones. In addition volunteer work enables others to make contacts with people in their chosen career.
Thirdly, people see how their contribution has made a difference. To know that you have made a difference to someone is a great feeling. For instance, a difference can contribute to personal development in the areas of self –confidence, self- fulfillment, and self – esteem that often embellish in the midst of volunteering experiences. Knowing that you are making a difference and a positive impact on someone is an uplifting experience that can never be taken away. Which can be very encouraging to a volunteer and even the
Thesis Statement: Volunteering in your local community will help those around you and help you feel like you have contributed something positive and it is easier than most people think.
Volunteering is one of the most patriotic acts a person could do. The world today has put volunteering and helping others on standby while they go chase other types of happiness. After a long day of volunteering one’s feet will probably hurt , one will be sleepy , and most of all hungry. Every day after volunteering I would go home and take a nice warm shower and reflect on my experiences that day. That time in the shower helped me focus on the goals I wanted to set the next time I would volunteer.The most satisfying aspect of volunteering his helping other people because it is the right thing to do. People don’t realize how important helping others is until they need help themselves. The Salvation Army is a superb place where one can learn many lessons about life that could affect someone’s life for
A reflection of my volunteering experience can be summarized in two words: Life-changing. It is hard to explain the feelings that occur when you involve yourself in selfless acts for your community, such as volunteering. There is a feeling in your heart that you cannot ignore, maybe it is the happiness you feel or the overflow of emotions in helping others. In other words, it is a feeling in which you want to share with others. Maybe with a friend, maybe a classmate, maybe a family member, or maybe even a stranger. Either way, spreading how life-changing volunteering can be is a great start to making a positive change in your community by simply by involving others.
These factors can be summarized through four theoretical models of volunteer work that presently guide the literature. What might be called the volunteer motivations model emphasizes individuals’ motivations for or goals in volunteering. Research indicates that people give service for a variety of reasons, for example, to learn new skills, to develop the self, to enhance self-esteem, to prepare for a career, to express personal values and community commitment, and even to reduce ego-conflicts or identity threats (Omoto &Snyder, 1990, 1995; Janoski, Musick & Wilson, 1998). Motivation researchers suggest that volunteering can serve different functions (i.e., motivations) for different people and sometimes multiple functions for a single individual(Omoto & Snyder, 1990; Penner & Finkelstein, 1998). Thus, selection into volunteer service may not be broadly socially patterned or