Give Volunteer Service

Give volunteer service where you can; it is both a learning and a giving experience. Volunteer service is giving or investing your time to relieve symptoms of distress and/or to invest in solutions to underlying problems. It is personal. It builds and nurtures relationships. Important volunteer opportunities where good-hearted, hard-working people are needed include: hands-on help at food banks, literacy centers, youth recreation centers like the Boys and Girls Clubs, local emergency services like the Red Cross, home construction projects like Habitat for Humanity, non-profit boards. Local United Ways and community leadership development programs are great places to access ideas.

If you have limited resources (money), give some of your time. If you have resources, give them . . . and give some of your time. In the process of helping, you will learn invaluable things about how other people live. The experience will broaden your view of the work and enrich your life.

A great resource for you to consult -- for yourself, your family, or your organization -- for volunteer ideas and opportunities, is the national volunteer centers directory maintained on the web by the Points of Light Foundation.


Extend your legacy beyond what you give to charity. Give to philanthropy, and give volunteer service. Teach your children well. Teach them to be givers of their treasure and talent; it will enrich your life, your childrens' lives, and the beneficiaries of the services . . .