I realized this week while talking to a group of freshman at East Central University that not everyone knows what volunteering really means. There was one particular student that seemed to think that the only reason a person would volunteer was due to a requirement of an indiscretion. The term community service came up several times during the discussion. To me community service is simply something that I have always done. I grew up knowing that I volunteered because - just because. I watched "older people" giving there time to be Sunday school teachers, volunteer bus drivers for events, leading youth groups, etc. I just assumed that once I became old enough to help I should. No one really ever asked me to, I just did it.
I think that now we have to explain to people and offer them rewards to volunteer there time. And that is okay, but we do need to remember to explain to our youth why we volunteer. The answer is going to have to be more than just because. That is all I needed, but that was a slower paced time. Everyone is so strapped for time now that they really have to schedule in their volunteerism.
A person should volunteer to give back to their community. That is where United Way can help. We have a partnership with several agencies in our community needing our time as volunteers.
A person simply needs to decide how much extra time they have for volunteerism, what day(s) are they available, what time of the day are they available. Most of all, they need to decide what interests them because if you are going to volunteer your valuable time, it should be for something that you like or love. What made a difference in your life - find out how to volunteer for that!
Take time to think about what you want to get out of your volunteer time. If you need help locating a project, simply contact Ada Regional United Way and we will match you with a project.
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