It feels good. The satisfaction and pride you feel when
helping others are important reasons to volunteer. When you commit your time
and effort to an organization you care about or a cause you feel strongly
about, the feeling of fulfillment can be endless.
It strengthens your community. Organizations and
agencies that make use of volunteers are providing important services at low
or no cost to those who need them. When a community is doing well as a
whole, the individuals are better off too.
Future work
skills. Community service can help young people decide on their
future careers. Are they interested in the medical field? Hospitals and
clinics often have teenage volunteer programs. Do they love politics? Kids
can work on the real campaigns of local political candidates. Learning to
work as a team member, taking on leadership roles, setting project goals -
these are all skills that can be gained by volunteering and will serve a
child well in any future career.
The
knowledge that one person can make a difference. A wonderful,
empowering message for a young adult is that he or she is important enough
to have an impact on someone or something else.
