Pay It Forward: 5 Ways to Volunteer Your Time and Create Meaningful Change
With time being one of your most precious resources, it stands to reason that you should want to spend it doing something that makes you feel good inside and out. Volunteering is a great way to give back to your community while also benefiting yourself in the process. By becoming a volunteer, you’ll be able to create lasting friendships, build new skills, and support worthwhile causes that benefit those who need help the most. The best part is, it doesn’t have to take a ton of time to make a big impact. Here are 5 unique ways you can pay it forward and give back to create meaningful change as a volunteer.
1. Clean Your Community: Take pride in your community and show some love by simply keeping it clean. Organize a clean-up crew with family, friends, and neighbors to pick up trash around your neighborhood or join a bigger organization in your local area and expand your service to different parts of the city. Grab a trash bag, some gloves, or pick up sticks and scout the local parks, beaches, riverfronts or any random sidewalk for litter, graffiti, broken glass, or other types of rubbish that tarnish your view. You’re creating a positive impact on your community that leaves you with a sense of accomplishment long after you’re done collecting trash.
2. Be an Animal Advocate: Humans aren’t the only ones needing help from time to time. If you adore animals, there are numerous ways to help out those furry, four-legged friends. Sign up to be a volunteer at your local shelter where you can spend time caring and playing with the “oh so happy to see you” residents or simply donate items like food or toys according to their current needs. Kick it up a notch and open your home to fostering an animal that is waiting for permanent adoption or becomes part of a rescue program where you can help find suitable homes for dogs and cats alike. You’ll never regret the time spent trying to make a better life for these sweet furballs.
3. Clothing Drive: Organizing a clothing drive is a great way to help out the homeless population in your community as well as families who just don’t have the necessary items to get through the different seasons. First, decide what you will be collecting – if cold weather is around the corner, you may want to focus on winter coats, jeans, gloves, hats, etc. Set a date/time and make it easy for people to donate – be willing to do pickups in your free time. It will make it that much more enticing for people to donate. Next comes the fun part! Offer a simple reward for those who make a donation – cookies and hot chocolate are hard to pass up! Remember to spread the word and share what you are doing and what you are trying to accomplish. Not only are you helping those in need but cleaning out your closet in the process. Win-win!
4. Serving Seniors: There are so many ways to volunteer and help the elderly residents in your community. Spend time at a local nursing home playing board games, reading books, or simply chatting the afternoon away with a resident or two. On their birthday, send them a bouquet of flowers or a birthday card with a sweet note (and don’t forget a piece of cake). Make an effort to really get to know the older generation who has spent so much of their time and energy paving the way for us. You may just learn a thing or two and start seeing the world with a whole new set of eyes.
5. Become a Tutor: If you have the heart of a teacher, becoming a tutor is a great way to serve the people in your community, young and old alike. You can go down the academic path and help a high school student with geometry or algebra or provide life-changing English/literacy lessons to an adult. Help someone become more comfortable using the internet or teach someone how to take really amazing nature photos. Take note of your own skillset – what are you really good at? What do you enjoy? There are so many in-demand skills that could benefit so many people in your community. Sharing your gifts, talents, and knowledge in the form of tutoring can make a huge impact on someone’s life.
Volunteering is a great way to meet new people, build your skills and make your community a better place. Search out opportunities and give some of your time to support those causes you care about.