Gratitude For Volunteers, Interns or Mentors
I think I do my fair share of volunteering for my community; it brings me gratitude when I maintain a few websites for organizations in my town and when I volunteer at the local cable television station. I have also volunteered at a few triathlon races! Have you given any consideration to volunteering?
Volunteer, Intern or Mentor
It goes without saying that many people’s job situations have changed drastically since last year this time. What do you do if you have been laid off from a job and are still looking? What if you are a college student about to graduate and haven’t been able to secure a job? That is not very satisfying, rewarding, or gratifying! Wh
at if you have a job and want to help people transition to new opportunities? I would suggest that you think about becoming a volunteer, intern or mentor. Volunteering can be am experience that fills you with gratitude. If you are not sure where to find a position to intern, the government and the private sector have a number of opportunities available for you to do just this.
Volunteer
You probably know that volunteers are individuals or groups who give their time, talent and abilities to a cause they believe in, without pay. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that in 2009, 63.4 million people volunteered – mostly through religious, educational, youth service, social or community service organizations. While this number might seem high, there are many other organizations that could still use our help.
Why Volunteer?
- Challenge yourself and others to make a difference.
- Take action and make an impact.
- Gain leadership skills.
- Get “real world” experiences, and it looks great on college applications and resumés.
- Guilt.
- It’s fun!
- Meet new and interesting people. It’s a great opportunity to network!
- Adventure – Go to new places, learn and do different things.
- Get out of school – service projects make great field trips.
- It’s free! Volunteer and have a great time for free.
- BONUS – Volunteering can help you gain experience for a much needed or mandatory career change.
My brother and his wife are helping on on Extreme Make Over: Home Edition – they have volunteered to help construct a home for a family in need. You can see some of the progress over at Goals Lead To Success.
Are yo
u already volunteering? Leave a comment and let me know!
Be Well.
Paul.
The Gratitude Guru
This was a great post. It is unfortunate that my life is so hectic right now, but mentoring and volunteering is on top of my to-do list in the near future.
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My mother gave lots of her time volunteering; she was a great inspiration. I’ve volunteered in numerous ways through the years, in service organizations, on boards, in my neighborhood. One of my favorite volunteer “jobs” was running an after-school ski program for 9 winters at my sons’ elementary school. I still see some of “my kids”, now grown, and it always makes me smile, especially because they may no longer remember me but I know I made a difference in their lives. Currently I am a Hospice volunteer, and it is the most fulfilling work I have done. Whether I am helping to support a family member or sitting with a patient, I feel that I get more back than I can ever give.
Great post. I was recently interviewed about the value of youth volunteering. There are a number of additional benefits for youth who volunteer in their community but the one I want to stress right now is “increased self-esteem”. With so many negative influences facing youth each and every day, whatever we can do to raise their level of self-esteem will play a huge part in their success!
Linette Daniels
http://EmpoweringYouthForSuccess.com
I am a big fan of volunteering and volunteers, too. At one time I volunteered for eight ministries in my church. You know that 80/20 rule, right? I am not the kind of person who can’t say no (I am very good at it, in fact) but the wonderful feeling of knowing I helped became a little addictive. Then one day I realized that I was volunteering so often to help others that I was not leaving any time for my own family. I immediately scaled back because if I’m not there for my family, who will be?