Thoughts On Volunteering

We're now a few weeks into the New Year 2007. I hope you are making progress with your New Year's Resolutions. I'm a bit off schedule on one of mine because a project is moving a bit slower than I expected. So I've revised my plan, and I'll be back on track next week!

The early days of a new year are a good time to think about volunteering, whether you are already retired or you are planning for retirement. I think volunteering in the community in some capacity is a very important part of life.

If you know my life story, you know that I have endured my share of hard times and struggled to achieve my goals. I know I would not have made it without the support and help of others along the way. Now, I am not only grateful to those who helped me, I am determined to pass on the gift to others.

Volunteering is an incredibly fulfilling activity. It gives new meaning to our lives. Perhaps this is one of the reasons so many retirees find such great joy in volunteering. When we leave a career, we need some new enterprise to give us a new sense of meaning in life. Finding a new sense of meaning and purpose, in fact, is one of the major factors in aging successfully.

Volunteering in the community gives us many new opportunities, including the opportunity to:
ühelp others
üuse our skills, wisdom, abilities, and knowledge in new and meaningful ways
üenrich the lives of others
ücultivate new social networks
ülearn new things
ümake the community and the world a better place
üfeel good about the ways we are using out time

Do you know that recent studies have shown that more than 40% of those aged 60 and over have volunteered in some way in the previous year? And most of those folks would give more of their time to volunteer efforts if they were asked.

There are volunteer opportunities all around us, if we just look and remain open to new ways to help others and make a difference in our community and our world. Religious organizations and hospitals, for example, always seem more than ready to find meaningful work for volunteers. Government and community organizations also need a steady supply of willing volunteers. You can also volunteer with political groups, educational groups, health and wellness groups. And you can start your own program responding to needs in your own neighborhood.

One of my favorite things to do is to read to children at the local library and at the local hospital. I know several people who read for recorded books for the visually impaired. Helping with homework hotlines and crisis hotlines is such valuable work, and these organizations always need more help.

Each person needs to find the organization and the volunteer activity that is the best match for his or her skills and interests. I assure you that there is an organization in your community that needs your particular skills and abilities to help others. I know of no activity that gives me such a sense of purpose and accomplishment.

So I encourage you to find your niche. I encourage you to find the way you can make a difference.

I would like to challenge everyone who reads this newsletter to find and commit to some volunteer activity during the next two weeks. You can do as little as a couple of hours a week. I promise the rewards will far outshine your expectations.