BLOG #2
Project VOLUNTEER
Jan. 2017
The Powerful Gift of Volunteerism
by Susan Manuel
With the holiday season here, most of us are frenetic in our quest for gifts for family and friends. We spend an immense amount of energy, time and monetary resources in our quest to find the perfect present for nephew Joey; the right gift for the yoga instructor; and the proper holiday offering for the neighbors.
Certainly, there are as many ways to give as there are reasons. But, as we transition into 2017, all of us at United Way would like to remind everyone of the powerful gift of volunteerism. Take a moment to reflect and refocus on how you can devote a segment of time and a portion of energy to creating great change in our Tulare County communities.
The greatest gift we can give is of ourselves. Volunteering has the power to ignite passion, inspire change and impact our world by broadening perspectives and transforming communities.
It is easy to get caught up in life. We have careers. We have families. We have responsibilities. Yet, an infusion of volunteerism can be a powerful elixir for strengthening your life. The benefits of volunteerism not only touch the community, but positively reinforce our quality of life and the lives of others.
With commercial advertising encouraging us to gift ourselves with a shiny new car, buy more decorations than our neighbors, and to spend a good portion of our earnings on purchasing presents-volunteerism seems a refreshing break.
As Martin Luther King, Jr. explained decades ago: "We are prone to judge success by the index of our salary, or the size of our automobile, rather than by the quality of our service relationship to humanity."
This is a good time to re-evaluate our priorities and balance our personal life to include a segments of time throughout 2017 for volunteering, and to understand while we are busy with the shopping, decorating and holiday parties, life can be dramatically different for others.
The holidays are a joyous time for many, but they can be challenging for people or families in need. Whether you're a fourth grader who wants to help others, or a business with dozens of employees-you have the power to make a mark on the world.
Volunteer at a youth center. Read to children. Mentor a struggling student. Help an organization with a marketing plan.
There are no age restrictions when it comes to making your mark on the world through service. One of the greatest gifts you can give your children, is to get engaged in volunteering.
While volunteerism brings significant benefits to the community, it's also a gift to the employee volunteer. It not only positively impacts employee morale, but is good for businesses, too-resulting in stronger relationships, team and skill development, brand value and employee engagement.
Recently, Wells Fargo team members gathered cases of bottled water and delivered them to homes in Tulare County with no water. Teams from Kohl's, Target and other companies volunteer by slicing barbequed tri-tip and serving up fried bologna sandwiches in the United Way food booth at the World Ag Expo. And, other individuals give countless hours to organizations throughout Tulare County.
Here at United Way, we make it easy to be of service to others with no impact on our pocketbooks. We have a new website dedicated to easily connecting volunteers to opportunities in our communities. With this new year, we hope you will take some time to explore www.unitedwaytc.org/volunteer.html and make the commitment to carve out some time to give back in Tulare County.
Join us this holiday season and give the gift of volunteerism with your family and organization. Empower yourself and others to make a difference together and build a better and brighter Tulare County.
