If you’d like to be more active in your community, volunteering is a great opportunity to meet like-minded people and serve the area you call home. Volunteering looks great on a resume, and it can also be a source of personal enrichment. There are numerous organizations available to join in any community you find yourself in, but before you search for an organization, you should determine which way you’d like to spend your time and energy.
If you’re an avid reader and book lover, volunteering at your local library could be a great fit for you! This type of volunteer work might include re-shelving books, working with young readers and notifying visitors about available holds.
You may consider assisting with voter registration during election time. Some registration processes are made difficult on purpose to suppress voters from having their voices heard. This is, unfortunately, most often seen in communities of color. By assisting with voter registration, you can be the reason someone gets to cast their ballot.
Visiting a nursing home is another rewarding way to volunteer. So many residents in nursing homes don’t have anyone who visits them regularly. Many days, these residents only see the nursing staff who care for them, so by stopping by you very well might make someone’s day or even their week! Oftentimes nursing homes have an activity director who would likely be very happy to have additional hands-on deck when organizing and carrying out activities and events.
Donating blood and platelets never goes out of style! You can sign up to attend a scheduled drive or you can even organize your own!
Food is a basic necessity yet so many people struggle to afford enough to feed themselves or their family. Helping at a food bank, food pantry or soup kitchen can be especially rewarding for this reason.
If spending time with children is something you’re passionate about you should consider tutoring students. The most common topics for tutoring include reading, math, science, foreign languages, and music. Another way to aid the younger generation in your community is by working as a summer camp counselor. Camp counselors often create close bonds with their campers, and this means they have the opportunity to be a good role model in the children’s lives even if only for a summer.
Another satisfactory volunteer option is maintaining the environment by picking up trash in the community. While organized events are scheduled to remove litter from the suburban areas, downtown areas, parks and along highways, this option can be as easy as taking a walk or hike and picking up trash while you’re out and about. Any little bit helps!
If you’re an animal lover, then volunteering your time at an animal shelter might be right up your alley! Shelters always need volunteers to assist with socialization, animal care, clean up and exercise.
