How to Volunteer
Volunteering is one of the most rewarding things that you can do in your lifetime. The giving of yourself, for the mere fact that you are doing someone a favor, is one of the greatest things that a person can do. Although we don't see it enough, there are plenty of people who are out there volunteering right now, and giving time to those who need help, who otherwise might not get it. From Habitat for Humanity building houses, to Salvation Army volunteers ringing the bells at Christmas time, there are average people giving time up for the sake of the community.
How exactly can you get into the volunteering game? Volunteering itself is simple, you just have to be willing to give a little bit of your time to others in your community. This is as simple as being a tutor for a student, doing a chore for a neighbor, or any other way that you can pitch in to help others out.
It can be as simple as asking someone you see struggling if they need help with anything, or just going out of your way to help out in a crisis. I remember back in 1998, a huge storm hit my neighborhood, and the whole block was out offering whatever they could to help those hardest hit by the storm.
There are plenty of orginizations that are available for you to join in order to start volunteering. Salvation Army is a good organization, the United Way as a I stated earlier, the Peace Corps, is a widely recognized service in which you can give to the entire world. If you want to start small, you can just go to the local school, or library and see if they need a tutor for after school, or maybe someone to actually help out around the library.
You can join a neighborhood watch, you can help organize a neighborhood cleanup effort, or organize any type of effort. All volunteering really requires is your time, and a little bit of effort. Organization is key for any larger effort, but even with just a few people, you can accomplish a lot for your community in just a little bit of time.
So, as you can see, volunteering is a very simple thing to do, and doesn't take much except a desire to help others, and a time commitment on your part. If you can free up just a few hours a month, you can do so much, and help your community out. So get out there, and do your part for the good of your town, your schools, or anyone else who needs it. It will be the best thing you ever do for yourself, when you help someone else.
