Benefits of Community Involvement

Summary: Being an active participant in your community makes you feel good, helps the community, and helps your family.

When you volunteer your time, you receive a sense of satisfaction and pride. Being a part of something bigger and better helps you feel fulfilled. Organizations that utilize volunteers are providing required services to those in need. When these organizations don’t receive the help they need, the programs fail or are unable to efficiently run. Strengthening your community and the individuals within it won’t happen if people are not involved. Spending time as a family by getting involved teaches them valuable life lessons like the importance of helping others.

Places that often need help are retirement homes. They need people willing to spend time with the residents by playing games or keeping them company. You can also volunteer for youth sports organizations by being a coach for a youth team. Being a coach is a great way to help them build confidence and be active. The Boys and Girls Club is always looking for positive role models to help with kids in need. At community centers you can greet visitors or get involved with creating fun new programs.

If you are familiar with more specific fields like medical or education then you can serve there. Libraries can use help shelving books and helping patrons find what they need. Animal shelters always want someone to spend time with the animals and take them for walks. If you are trained, you can help nurses at hospitals. If you are not trained, you can sit with patients that don’t have family to be with them.

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