A Fulfilling Sense of Purpose

SERVING OTHERS changes perspective,  makes your own troubles seem small, connects us to our community and builds the relationship between the person serving and the recipient, unifies persons serving together, and JUST PLAIN FEELS GOOD!

As the daughter of a counselor, I learned many tools for character development starting at a young age. One of these character qualities that was easy for me to embrace and thrive from is that of serving others. It was always more fun for me to clean someone else's kitchen than my own dish chore; it was more fun to read stories to kids than to complete my own book report; it was more fun to help our elderly neighbor with raking leaves or shoveling snow than it was to stay at home and do whatever. I was a social child and I loved to see other's smile. 

I still love to see other's smile. Though I have less time for service, I still seek for opportunities to help others in meaningful ways. Then, at the end of the day when my energy is mostly spent, the past week or two, I have been enjoying learning about the service others are giving in our society. There's a show I came across called, "Making Good". The narrator travels the country, volunteers for various service organizations, and shares about their projects and the positive impact everyday passionate people are having on the lives of others in need. Some other shows I came across that inspire hope and community include: "Random Acts", "Operation Awesome", and "The Fixers".

Here are some resources to get started with sharing your talents and interests in a serving capacity within the Idaho Treasure Valley community: 

Meridian Library District regularly hosts activities and programs for kids and others. You can help!

JustServe.org is a hub for connecting volunteers with opportunities locally and remotely. You can volunteer for an event, an ongoing need, or donate projects completed at home!

Idaho Nonprofit Center is a resource center for nonprofit organizations. If you are already part of a non-profit organization, you can find opportunities here to connect with other nonprofits. This site also has a job board for those who don't have the ability to volunteer as much as they would like, but would still want to be helping individuals in a caring capacity for those in need. Another way to use this site is to see what organizations are in your community by searching the Member Directory - Find something that interests you to help with, and give that organization a call to see how you can lend a hand! 

Youth Service America has information for educators and youth leaders to help facilitate youth engagement in the community. They also have teaching materials for creating a class service learning experience.

A few more volunteer search tools:  Idealist, Points of Light Engage, VolunteerMatch, For a Brighter Future, Volunteer.gov

Serving others can be as simple as making a daily habit of observing those around you and giving 2-3 minutes to give the gift of a simple act of kindness.

(Image created using Microsoft Co-pilot)

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WHY VONUNTEER??

Science backs that serving others is a part of healthy living.

Service and volunteering improves your health, nurtures relationships, provides purpose, and is an opportunity to learn valuable skills. (Click here to read more: Mayo Clinic.)

"Volunteering connects you to others", "increases social and relationship skills", "is good for your mind and body", "combats depression", "can provide...experience", "can teach you valuable...skills", and "brings fun and fulfillment to your life" (Western Connecticut State University).

"Youth who volunteer just one hour or more a week are 50% less likely to abuse alcohol, cigarettes, become pregnant, or engage other destructive behavior.

"Teens say the benefits received from volunteering are: Learning to respect others; learning to be helpful and kind; learning to understand people who are different; developing leadership skills, becoming more patient, and better understanding of citizenship.

"Youth who volunteer are more likely to do well in school, graduate and vote."

(University of Nevada).

Service and volunteering are "good for both mind and body" (Harvard University).