Volunteers work without pay to help their communities or support the causes of various charities and other community groups. The opportunities for volunteering are endless. They include acts as simple as helping to pick up trash in a local park or as complex as traveling across the world to help people who need food, a safe place to live or medical care. Volunteers are a vital part of charitable work.
Definition
Volunteering involves giving your time to help others. Most volunteers give their time because they believe in a charitable cause or they want to make a difference in their communities. Although some volunteers give time and money to causes that matter to them, others give their time in lieu of money, which may be scarce.
History
Volunteering has a long and rich history in the United States. The first volunteer fire department on the continent was set up by Benjamin Franklin in 1736. Other organizations were arranged by the wives of businessmen and other notables, and were focused on providing food, clothing and medical care to the poor. As settlers moved west, the concept of volunteering moved with them. Pioneers had no one but each other to rely on during their treks across the frontier, so helping one another became commonplace. The religious revivals of the 19th century also focused on helping others, and the YMCA and the American Red Cross were founded during the 1800s. In the 1900s, mainstream charity organizations, such as the Rotary Club, Lions, and Kiwanis, were established.
Types
Opportunities for volunteering are as varied as your imagination. Popular volunteer activities for kids include reading to smaller children, gathering canned goods for food drives, caring for animals at a local animal shelter, and joining organizations such as Scouting to perform community service projects with a troop or group. College students frequently volunteer in activities on campus, such as Take Back the Night or walks to raise money for various diseases. Some join the Peace Corps, Teach for America or one of the other wide variety of organizations that send volunteers to places in need.
Effects
The effects of volunteering on charitable organizations are immeasurable. Many charitable organizations are entirely volunteer-run and would not exist without the help of people who will carry out the organization's plans without pay. Other organizations rely on volunteers to carry out their mission, whether it is to help end adult illiteracy or preserve historical monuments. The effects of volunteering on the volunteer are also well-documented. Although volunteers do not work for pay in terms of dollars or goods, they are often rewarded with a strong sense of community and accomplishment as well as the development of new skills and talents. Volunteering together also may create fast friends for life.
Sources
If you're looking for a place to volunteer, several resources are available. You can ask at your local schools, library or church for available opportunities, or stop by local charities to see if they need help. You can also search online at websites, such as Volunteer Match and Idealist, both of which maintain large databases of volunteer opportunities. Finally, the federal government offers Serve.gov, another source of volunteer opportunities.
Member Comments