What am I doing to help those less fortunate? What am I doing to help those facing insurmountable challenges? What am I doing to help those dealing with mental disorders such as loneliness, depression, psychosis, and addiction. What am I doing to help the hungry and homeless? What am I doing to make this world a better place for all?
These are all questions that I have recently began to really dig deep and ask myself. Sometimes it seems my focus is on myself and my personal gain. I have to keep bringing myself back into the awareness that when we elevate others, we elevate ourselves. When we help others, we are helping ourselves. When we give to others, we are giving to ourselves.
Volunteering your time and energy is one of the best ways to ensure a better world for all.
SIX WAYS VOLUNTEERING BENEFITS THE VOLUNTEER:
- Provides a sense of Purpose
- Fights Depression
- Leads to Greater Happiness
- Increases Self Confidence
- Builds Quality Relationships
- Boost your over-all sense of wellbeing
There are many volunteer opportunities to serve the underserved. Volunteering doesn’t mean serving breakfast at church on Sunday morning or cleaning the church once a week. It doesn’t mean volunteering to help with a baby shower or wedding shower for someone in the church. It means going beyond the walls of the church to reach those at their point of need. Once again, it is easy to focus on one’s personal family and church family and forget that there are a lot of hurting people out there. What am I doing to make their life better?
It is easy to get in my own little world. I sometimes forget that we are ALL one. I am the homeless man on the street. I am the person dealing with mental illness and addiction. I am the hungry and less fortunate. I am them. Let me serve them. Let me help them.
You can do a google search of volunteer opportunities in your home city and you will find many. To make it easier, I have given you just a few here with some links to click on and learn more.
- Addiction hotlines drughelpline.org/drug-addiction-hotline/
- Suicide hotlines https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org
- Homeless Shelters
- Food Provision Services such as Meals on Wheels https://mealsonwheelsamerica.org/americaletsdolunch
- Nursing Homes (Adopt a Grandparent)
- Battered Women Shelters
- Gay Youth Organizations
- After-school Tutoring programs for kids
- Big Brother Big Sister Program https://www.bbbs.org/become-a-big
- Hospice Organizations www.NHPCO.ORG
I believe a huge part of our purpose on this Earth is to serve.
Choose a volunteer opportunity that resonates with you and watch the quality of your life improve dramatically. It is only when we give that we truly receive. Give of yourself. In doing so, you create a better self. A more compassionate self. A more loving self. A kinder self.
Together let’s make this a more giving, loving world despite all the drama and hate that surrounds us right now.
I would love to hear which opportunity you chose to make someone’s life a little better. In doing so, you’ve just made yours better. Respond and let me hear from you. Your stories will encourage us all.
Be Blessed and Give Back,
Vince
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Vince is a Critical Care Registered Nurse, Published Writer, and Columnist living and loving in Atlanta, Georgia. Enter your email address to receive his weekly Educational, Inspirational, and Motivational 5-minute reads straight to your inbox. You can also follow him on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter. Your support and feedback are deeply appreciated.
Another fascinating blog Vince.
Reading this, I was reminded of the movie “Sister Act” with the wonderful Whoopi Goldberg playing a showgirl who witnesses a murder and has to pretend to be a nun in a convent school for kids. Obviously, there was noting pious in her character but she did use her artistic talents in cleaning up the school, getting the kids more interested in their education, changing graffiti into art and getting the local community in through the gates. She gave the kids and community pride and something to aim for.
I don;t know about the USA but here in the UK the Church is run by the elderly who are not really interested in helping.
I belong to the Lions Club International organisation and we work endlessly in raising funds for charities. In fact we have our big fund raiser in July called ‘The Highland Gathering’ where we get an average of 10,000 people from all over the UK to experience or watch or taste something Scottish. All the profits go to charities and not a penny to the Lions. It’s amazing how much we collect and give out every year.
As far as people with, please correct me if I’m wrong, PTDS and the ones who sleep on the streets, the government needs to do more for them. It’s scandalous that a man or woman can risk their lives out in wherever for their country, but the country doesn’t what to know them when they return.
Being in retail, you learn a lot about how to handle people, patience and politeness, even though you want to beat the living daylight out of some rude and arrogant ones who think you’re a nothing because you work in a shop. I absolutely detest these Nouveau Riche people ! However, I would recommend that every child should spend around a year in retail between the ages of 16-17 (ie end of your High School and our GCSE exams) so as to learn how to handle their emotions and to bite their tongues. We would then have a much better society.
Anyway, I’m going off at a tangent again.
Thank you Vince and I look forward to the next episode of the SC.
Yuri
Yuri,
Sorry for my delayed response. As always, I love and appreciate your feedback. I always love that you add in a little history.
Much love to you,
Vince