Essay on the importance of volunteering Volunteering is important for numerous nu merous reasons that benefit both bo th the community and the volunteer themselves. When someone donates a handful of time, the difference made is tremendous and it shapes a community for the better while the experience improves the pe rson who donated the time. Volunteering is what makes a community because it brings people together to work on a goal. Whether it is a fundraiser for the research to cure a disease that affects the whole world, or to help a local family who has fallen in a time of calamity, volunteers make it happen. Community life is improved by aiding others and lending a helping hand to get a job done more effectively. effectively. More people working euals less work for each person and less time for the project. !o when it comes to getting the job done, like a community clean up, the more the merrier. When a person donates their time, they give hope to someone who needs it. "f a local family#s house burnt down and a group of people hosted a benefit for them, that family#s faith would be revived when they reali$ed that people p eople care. %lthough that family lost their house and their belongings, seeing how their own community wants to help would bring joy and show them that money isn#t everything. % volunteer also benefits themselves because they get to see how their co ntribution has made a difference. &his experience contributes to personal development especially in areas such as self' fulfillment, self'confidence, and self'esteem which often flourish in the midst of volunteering experiences. &he selfless act of volunteering provides a spiritual enhancement as well. (nowing that you made a positive impact on someone is an emotionally uplifting experience that can never be matched by money or fame. )onating time now will also aid in the future. Volunteering Volunteering strengthens present skills and also shows an employer that an effort has been made to make an improvement. !uch skills include communication skills, ability to work with others, ability to take direction and lead others, dedication and time management. *mployers *mplo yers reali$e that as a volunteer you must be able to prioriti$e your schedule in order to devote time for activities that that benefit others. When employers see active volunteer work on a resume, they are much more likely to hire said person rather than someone who doesn#t volunteer. *mployers are aware that most people who offer their time are conscientious, honest and hard working individuals. &hese are just a few reasons why volunteering vo lunteering is important. +ot only does it bring hope and happiness to people, but it also leads to spiritual and personal growth. "t is an experience that cannot be bought with any amount of money.
Volunteering: How Helping Others Helps You
Volunteering has a positive effect on your community and it-s good for you too. en, a college freshman who did volunteer fund'raising work, calls it / a win'win situation.0 1e says,
02ou feel good because you#re helping others, and the others feel good because they#re getting help.3 Volunteering can help you learn more about yourself and even put you on a path to your future career. Reasons to Volunteer
4iving back to your community is valuable in itself, but helping others also offers many benefits. 5or example, it can help you learn more about yourself and even put you on a path to your future career. 6earn more about the reasons to volunteer below. Gain Valuable Life Experiences and Skills Whether you build houses for the homeless or mail flyers for a local politician, you can experience the real world through hands'on work. %nd you can explore your major or career interests at the same time.
5or example, as a premed freshman, 4regory spent his summer volunteering at a local he alth clinic. 1e picked a clinic in an area with a lot of !panish speakers so he could practice his language skills while observing medical workers. 1e also found time to ask the doctors uestions. Meet Interesting People oth the people you are helping and your fellow volunteers can give you new insights. +o matter what groups of people you-re working with, you-ll find that they have information and ways of looking at the world that can broaden your hori$ons. Get Academic Credit !ome high schools offer academic credit for volunteer work through service learning a program that offers hands'on learning through service to the community. &o find out if your school offers service learning, talk to your school counselor. Sho Colleges !ou"re Committed 2our volunteer work illustrates your interests and character. When you list your v olunteer work on your college applications, you show admission officers the value you-ll bring to their campus community. Make a #i$erence "t-s eye'opening to reali$e that doing even small things can have a big impact on others. 7hea, a college sophomore, still remembers a visit she made to a senior home with a choir when she was in middle school. /%n elderly man in a wheelchair looked up at me after the last strains of 85rosty the !nowman- and said in a gravelly voice, 82ou-ve made my day. &his means so
much.-3 !he recalls, /+o one had ever thanked me in such a way for doing something so small, and a stranger no less93 How to Get Involved
:rgani$ations everywhere need volunteers. 1ere are some wa ys to get started; •
Call programs based in your community and ask if they need help.
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Visit your town’s website. It may list olunteer opportunities in your area.
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Contact a local museum or other cultural institutions or get in touch with similar organi!ations that can point you in the right direction. "sk libraries# religious organi!ations and community colleges if they sponsor any olunteer groups. Check out the following websites to learn more about causes and to $nd olunteer opportunities near you: o
%nited &e 'ere
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(etwork for )ood
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Idealist
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Volunteer*atch
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+o'omething.org
Before You Volunteer
&o get the most out of your experience, ask yourself these uestions before you get involved with an organi$ation; •
&hat hae I done in the past that I’e en,oyed-
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&hat do I want to do as a olunteer and what would I rule out doing-
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How much time can I commit-
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&hat talents or skills can I o/er-
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&hat kinds of people do I want to work with-
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&hat would I most like to learn by olunteering-
0 1easons &hy Volunteering Is Important 2and "wesome34
&he college admissions process is, to put it mildly, stressful. +ot only do we as students study tirelessly to keep an appealing 4<%, trudge through hours of standardi$ed testing, and find the time to somehow attend a hundred club meetings in a week, but now we have to devote our last few spare hours doing volunteer work= What=9 even if we-re procrastinating, we-re busy. Volunteering isn-t exactly at the top of anyone-s priority list, so finding a non'profit organi$ation that clicks with you is the first step to enjoying ?tolerating=@ volunteering. %s " mentioned earlier, " spent a couple of summers hastily completing my school-s volunteer reuirements at a local thrift shop. " did not care for it at all, and " only showed up so the volunteer coordinator would sign my hours sheet. "t wasn-t until the summer before my junior year that " found out just how enjoyable volunteering could be when " began working for a local vet hospital. !o, if you-re in the same position as " was, try out different organi$ations. )on-t just settle for an organi$ation to rack up the hours. &here-s a lot more to volunteering than that9 1. Gaining New Experiences and Insights
Volunteering allows students to get involved with new things and develop technical, social, and academic skills that couldn-t be learned in a classroom environment. Whether you-re he lping out at your local library or tutoring underprivileged kids, volunteering allows you to experience different environments and situations. " know that a lot of us, as competitive, college'obsessed, sleep'deprived students, get lost in the uantity of volunteer work, but it-s crucial to take a step back from the number games. "nstead of boasting about how many hours you-ve piled up, why not talk about the things you-ve done= Volunteering brings out new interests, hobbies, and opinions> moreover, volunteering expands students- hori$ons. %s Ashley, a rising senior, who volunteers with numerous organi$ations and clubs, puts it, /"f your volunteering experiences can give you something to write or think about for your college essays, then " say it-s done something good for you as a person, and it-ll help you overall in your college admissions processAit should mean something to you93
2. Giving Bac and !elping "thers
%dmit it; you-re pretty lucky. 2ou-re working your way through your high school education with intentions to move on to post'secondary educa tion. 2ou assumedly have a roof over your head, food to eat, and clothes to wear. *ven if you don-t have the /best3 of those, you-ve got them. Volunteers create better environments for others> they create healthier communities, and they brighten lives. #ill, another rising senior, has been playing the piano for more than a decade and the flute for seven. !he volunteers by performing in concerts for senior citi$ens. /We always talk with them after our concerts, and their stories are very humbling. &hey make me reali$e that "-m actually very lucky to know how to read and play music. &hey always tell us how great we sound and how they wish that they spent the time in their youth to learn an instrument.3 %s a volunteer, she-s been able to give back to the community that fostered her musical talents. $. %reating %onnections with &eople
+o matter the age, building relationships with people is crucial. +ot only does the volunteer work you do as a student show who you are as a person, but it reflects many positive character traits that potential employers and admissions officers want to see. Volunteering allows you to meet a wide variety of people from all sorts of walks of life. +etworking is an ama$ing benefit of volunteering, and students learn professional skills and have access to a breadth of knowledge from their co'volunteers. #asmine , a fellow rising senior, volunteers at her local free clinic, where she-s the assistant administrative coordinator. /!ome of the doctors and volunteers there have become my mentors, letting me shadow them or giving me general life advice about interacting with people and education. "nteracting with new types of people, though extremely difficult, has developed my people skills.3 &hrough her volunteer work, she-s not only become an integral part of the clinic itself, but she-s gained a lot of valuable insights, skills, and experiences. '. A (ense of Accomplishment
Volunteering isn-t one of the most plush, easy, or glamorous of jobs, but it is one of the most beneficial and uplifting. While no monetary compensation is received, many will tell you that their work and experiences gained as a volunteer were worth way more than any money they could have gotten from another line of work. &hink of it like this; volunteering is done on a person-s own accord. "t-s taking some time out of your day and helping others. Volunteer work makes us feel good. "t builds self'confidence and lifts up the spirits. %s #ill puts it, /students these days are getting caught up in the number of hours they store up doing something that they don-t care about, and not only is the meaning behind the actions lost, but the charity becomes a chore. !o yes, do it, but do what you want to do and because you want to do it.3 &hat couldn-t be truer. "t-s crucial to have a strong connection to your volunteer work. asically, you get out of it what you p ut into it. ). Building %areer "ptions
Charity work gives students opportunities to test out a desired career path. Concurrently, it gives them an edge on their resume. 4etting involved with an organi$ation that shares similar ideals and interests is an important step for students. %t a young and pretty inexperienced age, volunteering is an excellent gateway to the workforce. y gaining new experiences and creating new connections, volunteers are able to better visuali$e themselves in that field and explore the daunting uestion; can " see myself doing this for life= %nd, even if the organi$ation you do get involved with has nothing to do with your intended career path, it might end up surprising you. While " wasn-t such a fan of my early high school summers of volunteering, " was still able to make the most out of my situation by learning how to problem solve, work more efficiently, and deal with unwanted environments. *ven though " know that " don-t want to follow a similar career path, " strengthened a lot of skills necessary for my own future career. !o, take a chance b y getting outside of the beloved comfort $one through volunteer work. *. +he ,readed %ollege Admissions &rocess
%s if " would end this article without going back to this hot mess. Bnfortunately for us, we live in a pretty competitive world. College admissions has become much more than 4<%s, test scores, and letters of recommendations. 2ou, as a highly motivated and worried college'bound student, already know that. Volunteering, while it won-t raise your 4<% or add D points to your !%& score, will give you a plethora of other things, like experiences, connections, and most importantly, a voice. !o, get out there and get involved. !top stressing about the number of hours, and start having fun. 2es, volunteering can be fun. )on-t worry> " was surprised too. 7emember; volunteer work is meant to be more than what most make it out to be. 2our high school years are stressful. )on-t let something as constructive and vital slip through the cracks9
What are the benefits of volunteering =
volunteering means to carry out a duty or a job without expecting repayment or remuneration. &he concept is very popular in the advanced or rich countries such as Bnited !tates, %ustralia, Bnited (ingdom and other western nation. "n 6aos, the concept is rather alien as may look at volunteering as rendering help without expecting payment in return as a waste of time and effort. 1owever, there are many benefits one can gain through volunteering. When one volunteers to help out someone such as a friend, teacher or parent, one is immediately seen as selfless and helpful. When you help a teacher to clean he classroom or get involved in cleanliness campaign at the school level or other community projects, your standing would be elevated. &eachers and adults would look at a young person who volunteers his or her time for a certain activity as mature, responsible and deserving of respect. "n addition, volunteering with an organi$ation such as orphanages, community centers and other
non'profit organi$ations such as the !ociety for
Volunteering has changed my life foreer. I hae often heard people talk about the bene$ts of olunteering# of it being a way to reach out and touch the lies of others in a positie way. 5ut I didn’t fully understand the impact of that claim until I started to olunteer myself. I started olunteering in my last year of high school so that I would hae something to add to my uniersity applications. "t $rst# I would ,ust be a helping hand in local community eents# such as bake sales and food dries. 5ut then# I was asked to help organi!e an after6school program for children. 7his changed my life foreer. 8eryday after school# children from the local community would arrie at the mos9ue where olunteers like myself would plan actiities for them until they were ready to be picked up by their parents. or the most part these children came from low6income families# whose parents could not a/ord e;pensie day care facilities. &e would help the children with their homework# take them to the park# and organi!e arious games for them. 7he kids responded well to the program# and slowly I started to deelop a bond with them. 7he more I worked with them# the more I reali!ed how much I loed them. *any of these kids did not hae the lu;ury of taking swimming# soccer or karate lessons like other children their
age< and because I knew that myself and another olunteer were fully accredited lifeguards# while two other olunteers played on their uniersity soccer teams# I initiated a plan. I would teach the kids how to swim# while the others would help them form a mini soccer league. 5ut little did I know that while I was teaching these kids how to swim# they would also be teaching me things. 8ery time a child was scared to get into the water# they taught me patience. 8ery time# a child got scared and held on to me# it taught me that they depended on me# that I was important in their life# and eery time they accomplished a task with success it gae me a sense of accomplishment. 5ut most importantly# they taught me to gie. Volunteering my time to teach swimming lessons was the best thing I hae eer done in my life. It taught me that money will neer be my motiation for working# that motiation for me will only come when I know I can make a di/erence in another person’s life.
