It is fair to say that there are not enough of us who give up our time to help others, even though most of us know that we should. I was in this boat for many years, I always said that I would start volunteering but never really got started. I got the push that I needed from a friend of mine who was working for the charity AMFund, she offered me the chance to volunteer at an event and after seeing the positive impact which it had I knew that I had to start doing more of it. Currently I volunteer twice a week, one day at a charity store and another day lookin after some kids at an after school club for parents who can’t afford to have them cared for. I love volunteering and you will too, just look at these positive effects which volunteering can have.
Domino Effect
I got into volunteering because a friend of mine was doing it and this inspired me, since I have been volunteering members of my family and some of my friends have also started doing the same thing. When you see someone giving up their time it really does inspire you to do the same and this is a really positive effect which volunteering can have. The more that you do it the more likely it is that someone else will start.
Community Spirit
I grew up in a really tight little community where everyone helped each other, this is something that has been lost in American society for one reason or another. When you give up your time to volunteer and to help those who need it, you are contributing towards bringing the community much closer together. What this means is that there is help and support for those who need it in your community and as a result it brings everyone together.
Selfish Feelings
Honestly I feel great after I have given up my time to help others and whilst you shouldn’t start volunteering purely for selfish reasons, there is nothing wrong with feeling good about the work which you do. For me this is a real bonus of volunteering and whilst I do it for altruistic reasons, there is no shame at all about feeling good about what you are doing.
Direct Help
When you donate money to a cause you may or may not be actually helping, who knows where the money goes and you can’t see what that money is being spent on. When you volunteer however you are directly helping someone out. When I volunteer at the after school club I know that I am enabling parents to work hard without worrying about what they children are doing. In the charity store I know that we are making money to support a cause. Volunteering is a great way to help and you can actually see the good that you are doing.
