Election season is upon us once again and while politics and
voting are taking center stage, there’s another subject that should be sharing
the spotlight - volunteerism.
In the words of a great volunteer Marjorie Moore,
”Volunteering is the ultimate exercise in democracy. You vote in elections once
a year, but when you volunteer, you vote every
day about the kind of community you want to live in.”
In addition to wanting folks to be informed and engaged
voters, I hugely believe in being engaged
and connected community members. That’s where the real difference is made.
For a recent project, I found a few lists that I combined to
create an interesting statistic.
First, I found a list of states’ volunteer rates on www.VolunteeringInAmerica.gov.
It ranked states according to the percent of their population that had
performed unpaid volunteer activities in the preceding twelve-month period. As
a side note, in 2010, California ranked 35th. (That’s only 15 away from being
the worst volunteer state population!)
The other two lists were both compiled from CQ Press’s
Annual State Crime Rankings by DailyFinance.com. One list is the 15 Most
Dangerous States and the other is the 15 Safest States. I cross-referenced
these lists to my volunteer list and what I found wasn’t surprising at all.
Twelve of the fifteen safest states happen to correlate
positively with the highest volunteering states. And twelve out of fifteen of
the most dangerous states happen to correlate with the lowest volunteering
states. Let me clarify and simplify… places with more volunteering community
members are better places to live!
I know this isn’t a professional statistic or assertion, but
to the novice observer it makes complete sense and it is something that we all
have the power to do something about.
I know what you’re thinking… How am I supposed to fit saving
the world into my already busy schedule? Trust me – I know how you feel. I work
full-time. I’m a single parent. I’m a student. I’m a homeowner. And I also need
my “me” time.
Yet, even I have found time to volunteer. For example, I
dedicate a few evenings a month to help out in various sports’ snack bars at
the high school and my boys will be joining me to clean up our local lake and
barge canal for National Waterways Cleanup Day on September 15th.
These are both options that anyone
can do!
If things like that aren’t your bag, there are many other opportunities
to volunteer your time to make the world a better place. You can give as little
or as much as you want. It can be for a
hugely recognized organization or completely anonymous.
If you’re thinking that you don’t have any experience or skills
that would benefits others, I say, “Think again!” I took an informal poll of my
teenage kids and their friends about their volunteer experience. It was varied.
Some of them had stuffed envelopes and knocked on doors for political
candidates. Some of them had raised money for breast cancer by participating in
a run. All of them cited times when they had picked up trash – both in
coordinated efforts and randomly wherever they happened to be walking.
If kids can contribute
– you can contribute!
So, maybe you’re in a selfish phase? We’ve all been there…
You want to know, “How will this benefit ME?”
Well, the benefits of volunteering are many. In addition to
the obvious benefits to the community, according to a report by the Corporation
for National & Community Service titled “The Health Benefits of
Volunteering: A Review of Recent Research,” there are also measurable personal
benefits.
To quote a few, volunteers have lower mortality rates,
greater functional ability, and lower rates of depression. Add to that feelings
of pride, satisfaction, and accomplishment in knowing that you’re helping solve
problems, strengthen the community and connect with other humans.
Imagine if we all voted with our actions – every day – to
live in a beautiful community with wonderful people? Imagine how that benefits
YOU.
I know we all know the golden rule – Treat others the way
you would like to be treated. But in a recent conversation I had with my son, I
realized how difficult that is for a lot of people. He told me that he treats
people the way they treat him. It reminded me of a phrase I learned in an Interpersonal
Communication class – the Norm of Reciprocity - that basically states that
people are likely to mirror the actions
and behaviors of each other.
So imagine for a moment if more of us were doing good deeds,
and it caught on. As people saw you doing good things, they would begin to do
good also. Using that logic, theoretically it is possible to eliminate mean
people!
At this point, I bet you’re wondering, “How do I get in on
all this goodness?!”
Volunteering to be a good person and make the world a better
place is One Size Fits All. Turns out, we all have something to contribute.
Like I mentioned before, picking up trash is something all of us are able to do.
Smiling at people is also something small that everyone can do. If you’re a parent,
you can volunteer in your kids’ activities – whether it’s school, sports, dance
or band.
There are tons of websites to guide people, based on their
interests and abilities, for causes or needs in your own community, or even in
another country. A really informative website is www.VolunteerSac.org. It includes a
detailed how-to guide for Parents, Teachers and Youth, along with hundreds of
opportunities to get involved!
My absolute favorite way to volunteer is in my own community.
By talking with neighbors, friends & family, googling Yolo Volunteer
Opportunities, and yes, even by connecting with people on Facebook, you can
find ways to contribute your time and resources in your own community – because
right now that is where we spend our every days.
Right now, let me plug a few organizations dear to me that
are always looking for resources and help:
The River City High School Athletic Booster Club provides
financial support and volunteer resources to all RCHS athletic programs, student
athletes, coaches, and the school community. Membership is $10/year and anyone can be a member! Even non-parents
can volunteer in the snack bars on behalf of a student (please give my kids’
names!). More details can be found at www.rcsports.org
or you can contact me.
Another brand new organization is the River City High School
Music Booster Club. As you all probably know, sports and arts programs are
always on the edge of the chopping block at budget time. This booster club was
created to ensure River City keeps its fabulous music programs from piano and
guitar to choir to symphonic and marching band and the drum line. All funds
raised will be used for equipment, uniforms, competitions and any other need
that arises. Membership is also only $10/year!
When kids see adults from their neighborhood and community
involved in their lives through school and sport activities they feel the love and know they are valued
members of the tribe. It helps make them the better humans that we so want them
to be.
I hope I’ve convinced you how easy and important it is to
volunteer and become a real life super hero. I’ll close with a moving quote
from singer-songwriter John Legend – who is involved with many causes including
improving our nation’s education system. He says, “Why wouldn’t I help? What
good reason do I have as a human being with power and a sense of empathy and
morality, why wouldn’t I do something?”
Reference List
Grimm, Jr., Robert, Kimberly Spring, and Nathan Dietz.
"Benefits of Volunteering." NationalService.gov Benefits of
Volunteering. Office of Research and Policy Development, Corporation for National and
Community Service, 6 May 2007. Web. 7 May 2012.
<http://www.nationalservice.gov/about/volunteering/benefits.asp>.
Staff, WalletPop. "Most Dangerous States: Crime
Rankings for 2010." DailyFinance.com. Daily Finance, 5 Apr. 2010. Web. 7 May
2012. <http://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/04/05/most-dangerous-states-crime-rankings-for-2010/>.
Staff, WalletPop. "The 15 Safest States to Live In, Based
on 2010 Crime Rankings." DailyFinance.com. Daily Finance, 7 Apr.
2010. Web. 7 May 2012. <http://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/04/07/the-15-safest-state-to-live-in-based-on-2010-crime-rankings/>.
"Volunteer Center of Sacramento." Volunteer Center
of Sacramento. Web. 7 May 2012. <http://www.volunteersac.org/>.
"Volunteering in America." Rankings. Corporation
for National and Community Service, 9 Aug. 2011. Web. 7 May 2012.
<http://www.volunteeringinamerica.gov/rankings/States/Volunteer-Rates/2010>.
