Finding Motivation in Volunteering and Giving Back
Sometimes life can feel overwhelming and stressful. We're always rushing to do everything on our lists, whether that's work, family, or school. It's easy to forget the value of giving back and volunteering your time to what you believe in. Volunteering and giving back is one of the most rewarding experiences I've had.
I started volunteering and giving back when I was in 6th grade. When I was in 6th grade, an elderly woman died in my hometown. She was very well-known throughout the community, and she had many fans that touched by her death. A few months after her death, we started a group called "Aunt Put's Pals" (named after the lady who passed away). Our goal was to collect stuffed animals for children at local hospitals and nursing homes to spread some love and joy. The goal was accomplished and we had great success. Aunt Put's Pals is still going on today with the help of many volunteers and some mighty good friends.
The second time I volunteered was in my junior year of high school, with the Family YMCA. My family was visiting Yakima, Washington at a friend's house when there was an emergency at our local hospital. This hospital had a very small family emergency room because there were not enough medical workers or supplies to deal with everyone that needed attention simultaneously. The situation got very stressful for everyone involved because it seemed as though no one knew what to do. At the time, I was a counselor at the YMCA and had traveled back to Yakima to help our friends. With some family members, I decided to gather up my high school classmates and see what we could do. We were able to recruit one city council member, two elementary school teachers, one guidance counselor, a few families of patients who needed something from us that day because they didn't have anything with them at home, some of our local high school students (who were not busy and still needed something fun), and one young man who was very ill in his dorm room. We had an emergency supply of supplies that day, and we were able to use the supplies to provide some professional medical care to these families. We were able to give someone worried parents something they needed. It was a very successful day where we had a lot of fun, made connections with other people, and brought some joy into someone's life.
After my senior year of high school I decided to learn more about volunteering and give back. I began reading about different organizations that used volunteers to help them work towards their goals. Some used volunteers for events such as the Olympics, others for local organizations such as The Salvation Army, and still others for global projects such as Global Brigades . I would learn about these people and what they got out of their effort. They had different reasons for volunteering, but they all had one thing in common: the feeling of helping the community and giving back. I realized that this was something I could do too.
I was enrolled in a program called "Volunteer America" sponsored by the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and AmeriCorps . This program was for students to learn about critical issues facing our nation such as healthcare, hunger, homelessness, education, etc. We also learned about the benefits of volunteering. Our "classroom" was a 10-week internship at one of Detroit's most respected non-profit organizations, The Henry Ford Hospital. This was a hands-on experience where we were able to volunteer at The Henry Ford Hospital, but also learn about various civic issues that our nation is facing.
After my 10-week internship I learned how to use social media effectively for the purpose of spreading the word about volunteering and giving back. I used my Facebook , Twitter , and Google+ pages to spread the word and raise awareness for different charities around the nation. Through these mediums, I was able to start a volunteer movement in my high school . The group was called "The Helping Hands", and it had around 200 members. We worked with multiple charities to raise awareness of multiple issues such as food insecurity, homelessness, and poverty. We were able to raise $2,500 over the course of a few months for various charities that helped people in need.
I always like to find out what drives other people to volunteer. I'm not alone in the effort, there are millions of people who volunteer each year. Why do they do it? What motivates them?
Philanthropy is a big part of most volunteering experiences because most volunteers want to help others for a cause they believe in. I'm a big fan of the Red Cross and the Salvation Army, and I've always donated to both. I have also volunteered in the library system at my high school for a few years. The library was always providing me with books for my personal reading list and they also had free giveaways and events for the community. We give back to our communities by volunteering for charities that help others.
"Saving lives, changing lives, one person at a time."
I've always enjoyed helping people who are in need of help, but also helping those who are willing to help others but don't know how to do it yet. I learned early on that many people need help and need to know that there are others who are willing to help. I became a high school tutor for my own high school and am working with students who are unable to write a sentence or come up with an essay topic two weeks before it's due. I'm also volunteering my time at the local high school to help out with career planning for teens in need of mentoring. Through my work with AmeriCorps I was able to meet a lot of very nice people who helped me learn about the importance of giving back.
"The best way to make your dreams come true is to wake up." – J.M. Power
Volunteering can be fun, it can be tiring, and it's usually rewarding in the end. I have learned that volunteering is more than just showing up and doing something for someone else; it's really about what you learn from the process. Volunteering is a great learning experience that helps prepare you for a job or internship related to the field you're in. It can also spark an interest in different fields like politics, law, medicine, etc.
Conclusion:
Volunteering is the key to helping our nation's communities. No one is perfect. We all make mistakes, but we learn from them and grow from them. Volunteering is a great way to give back and help out those who need it most. It helps improve the economy, strengthens communities, creates jobs for others, and helps out those who need it most. The United States has a lot of issues that need other people to step up and give back to their communities. It can be hard for many people to volunteer because they find it boring or hard to get involved in something that they aren't doing it for any specific cause or reason outside of the community as a whole.