"Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile."
-- Albert Einstein
Volunteering personal time to a cause, service, or other person can be very rewarding for various reasons, and in various ways. These reasons can be specific to the volunteer task, whether the person was recruited for the work or if they found it themselves, life stage of the volunteer, or even the motivation behind donating time. Although research has proved that volunteering affects each individual differently, it has also proved that the affects are typically positive. Within the research done on how volunteerism affects well-being a few major themes emerge: motivations behind volunteering, the affects of volunteerism on the volunteer, and duration and
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Along these same lines, there is the social capital, which is a persons social network, which provides people with trust and information that can be useful in the perspective volunteers search for work and gives the place of volunteering the benefit of that same knowledge. The social capital theory says that we will do something if other people in our social networks are doing it and that is why those with greater social capital are more likely to volunteer than social isolates. People may begin volunteering because they are in need of a social network, or because their current friends are all volunteering and they want to be recognized as a member within their group.
Marital and employment status also affects motivation and reasoning behind volunteerism. “Married people are more likely to volunteer than single people, although single people without children volunteer the most hours.” (Wilson, 2000) Research proves that if one spouse volunteers, the other is much more likely to volunteer as well. Research has also shown that as the husbands volunteer hours increase, the wives will also increase, but as the wives increase the husbands decrease. The catch within the marital status motivation is that, young married couples may be less likely to volunteer because they must do more paid work to establish themselves. It would stand to reason that if a couple is married and
When one volunteers, it is not for their personal gain, yet rather for the benefit of others. The volunteering opportunity would enable one to make a direct connection with others. Thus, the volunteers get
What does community service means to me? Well, to me community service mean helping your community become a better place. When you do things for your neighborhood, it makes you feel like a better person. There are all sorts of activities you can do in your community. You can work with children at school, work with the elderly, or help people that are less fortunate and make their day very special. Community Service is very important because it gives you a chance to bond with the people in your neighborhood. It will also give you a chance to give back to your community , you’ll learn a lot from your experience, and you’ll make a difference in someone’s life. I recommend a lot of people to go out and make a difference.
As a student, I have demonstrated many works of service to my community and school. Service opportunities have shaped me into the person I am today and these projects have made me realize how fortunate I am for all that I have. While I've been doing these service projects through the years, it has been a pleasure seeing the joy on the faces of people that aren't as fortunate as I am. Service projects that I have completed include managing the fish booth at the St. Leo's Parish Festival, being an altar server at St. Leo's Parish, helping cook dinner for the Ridgway Fire Department during carnival day setup, participating in the St. Marys Light Up Night by dancing, and Christmas caroling to local residents. I also participated in a zombie/princess
My project involved helping the children in the park to better their skills in Baseball. Many of the children that went to the park had no basic knowledge of playing baseball, so it was my job to help the professional trainers in teaching them the skills required to play the sport well. The original proposal included that I had to maintain the field in playable conditions, but I went ahead and added dirt as well as passed a rake to remove holes in the infield of the baseball diamond. I also had to help the smaller children in batting practice by simply pitching them ten balls each, but I took it a step further by telling them in which way to position their arms and how to better their hitting techniques.
The United States is a country of volunteers. In 2002-2003, 64 million Americans (28.8 percent of those 16 and older) donated 52 hours a year, the equivalent of more than one full work week, to building shelters, coaching Little League, caring for the elderly, teaching literacy, and countless other community-minded pursuits. Statistics show in Source F that “groups mandatory and nonvolunteers – were less likely to volunteer 8 years after high school than persons who strongly encouraged to volunteer or did it for strictly voluntary reason (43 percent).”
At first when I found out I was going to have to do this essay I was not too excited. I had no idea what I could possibly write about because I did not know that things I did on the average day could be considered community service.
Volunteering is good for the mind, body, and soul. For some of us, it is hard to find the time. Becoming creative and doing what you deem a little can be BIG for another. Dr. Martin Luther King said, “Life’s most persistent and urgent questions is “What are you doing for others?”
Volunteering has many benefits for yourself, the organization you are volunteering for, and the audience that you are reaching out to. I have been volunteering since I was in junior high. I went to Mexico to build homes for the poor, and then in high school went to Haiti two times to help out there. I fell in love with volunteering, and I plan to keep doing it even after I graduate and start my career. When one volunteers it gives them a chance to gain new skills, or even use existing skills in new ways. That is important because you can never stop learning. By putting yourself in new situations and going through different experiences it gives yourself a new insight for life that you might not of had before. Another benefit that one might get from volunteering is that it gives you career exploration. For people like me that do not know what they want to do with their life if they volunteer then they learn more about that particular role, and culture that they are in. One of the biggest impacts that volunteer can have on someone’s life is personal growth. The impact that you make on peoples life’s when you volunteer is a feeling that is so rewarding and worth every minute of your time. Lastly, by volunteering you have a chance to impact someone’s life for the better. In volunteer experiences some of those people you are working with just need someone to be there for them, talk with them, and care for them. I do not know what impact that I made on the children at CHOL, but by volunteering you have a chance to change someone’s life for the better. You might be the only person that they will ever have. I encourage people to volunteer at some point it wont only change someone’s life it will change your life as well, I know it did
“ Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness” (Martin Luther King, Jr.); Volunteerism connects me by engaging and helping our society in which donating time and service can make a difference and a change in our society. Furthermore, it is every individual’s obligation to contribute in their community to set good examples as the righteous citizens that we are today; for instance, there are many ways that volunteering connects me and benefits me in my community, in which I grow in every aspect of my life, such as interpersonal, professional and bringing awareness in our community.
Volunteers are vital to the operation of an organization, as they give credibility and allow for positive communication between the community and the organization (Haski-Leventhal et al., 2010). With that said, volunteers are the backbone of nonprofit organizations throughout the country and many organizations depend on people giving their time to execute their vision and mission. The word volunteer is well known, but it has taken on a more diverse meaning with different types of people who engage in a number of different activities (McAllum, 2014). It is common for people to take on different volunteer roles at various points in their life. Social networks and motivation play key roles in how and when a person volunteers. Whether one is married,
Sub-sub supporting point : Volunteering makes people more anxious to participate in voluntary organizations or non-profit organizations, thus, people can make more friends and enable to expand
Some individuals do not realize how privileged they may be, while some individuals’ live in a bubble and thinks that everyone lives lavish or swell like they do. However, this is not the case. In the United States of American there are approximately forty-five million people or in other words there are about fourteen point fiver percent of people who live below the poverty line. That number may seem not that drastic to you, because you may not come from a household that is considered to be poor, but this level of inequality is not right. Coming form a middle class or upper class home, having a roof over your head, clothing on your back, shoes on your feet and being able to eat more than one full meal a day makes you privileged! Instead of keeping your privilege to yourself, ways in which, you are able to give back to not only your community, but other communities as well. Is through community service.
This research is being conducted to investigate volunteer motivation, satisfactions and dissatisfactions. As is stated by Becsi et al (2008), much of the literature in the social sciences focuses on predicting volunteering behaviour with underlying theories of resources availability.
As an 18-year-old tennager, I was forced by my parents to participate a summer volunteer program in my freshman year. Even though I felt that I was a victim of “tyranny” in the beginning, I realized that I actually enjoyed the process of helping people in the middle of the program. Now, I participate that program every year as an active member, and I have gained the personal enrichment that I am unable to learn from other sources such as math club or SAT preparatory class. There is no doubt that community service can bring essential benefits in helping students develop their moral value and future interest, and it should be mandatory because some students attempt to utilize community service as a tool for their own profit without the school supervision.
I have been volunteering before I was old enough to know I was volunteering. As the youngest of four, I happily came along whenever my parents and siblings volunteered. But, community service is not just something I was taught to do; it is something I love to do. Today, I serve others in ways that are closer to my own heart. Serving people and animals “who don’t have a voice” has been and always will be central to who I am. I spent this summer raising awareness and funds for foster children, and I am excited to use those funds this November to personally decorate and deliver new duffel bags with supplies to foster children in my area. Additionally, I have loved dedicating my time to a local animal rescue where I have participated in animal