Volunteer in Your Free Time

Whenever you tell someone you’ve volunteered before, or you volunteer on a regular basis, you are looked at differently. Believe it or not, individuals really respect someone who has had the title, ‘Volunteer’. You should feel good about this! 

Whether you grew up with your parents or guardians volunteering for your school Halloween parties, or you volunteered with your family in your community, you may hold volunteering very near and dear to your heart. 

Volunteering definitely teaches lessons! You are able to recognize how good it feels to help people and in some cases you realize how fortunate you really are. If we all dedicated some time to helping others, think about how kind the world would be. We all struggle sometimes or need help, and it is always nice to know you can count on your community when needed. 

When you’re headed off to college, it helps to have this on a resume or at least be able to talk about it in regards to your past experience. Clubs on college campuses, such as fraternities and sororities, look for individuals who have given back to their community. You are viewed greater in their eyes because of this!   

Here are some places that always need an extra hand:

1. 1. Senior Centers/Nursing Homes: Head to your local senior center or nursing home to see how you can help out. Maybe they need a caller for bingo, could use help in the kitchen or would just like someone to spend time with the elderly. 
   2. Churches: Stop by a church in your community. Churches are always doing things like spaghetti dinners, delivering meals for the holidays or helping maintain the appearance of the church. They could always use a helping hand.
   3. Summer Camps: Summer camps are great places to volunteer. With screaming children running around, you’re bound to be put to work immediately! 
   4. Local Libraries: Volunteer at your local library, it may seem like a thing of the past, but believe it or not libraries still are a place where the community gathers for certain readings or activities or just to grab some books for leisure reading! 
   5. Animal Shelters: Stop by the animal shelter in your area to help them care for the dogs and cats there! Who knows maybe you’ll even leave with a furry friend!? 

As you can tell, there are many places that could use your help. All it takes is asking around to see who can utilize you! They will remember your name and face and will be more than willing to have you return to volunteer in the future! 

Keep in mind when you are done volunteering how much it really benefits, not only you, but others in the community!