It seems that everywhere I go these days, people tell me that they’re not feeling like their “best selves.” In some cases, it’s winter fatigue – tired of the rain, tired of the cold; in others, it’s a feeling of being overworked and overwhelmed (so ready for a vacation!); and in others it’s just a general malaise brought about by the uncertainty of our world today. It feels like one…big…collective…SIGH out there.
I get it. And…I’m proposing that the way through these doldrums is not to just sit back and wallow in them. Don’t give up, give back! Help yourself feel better by helping others.
Most of us try to give back in some way during the holiday season – we write our annual check to our favorite charity, or we volunteer at a food kitchen. The fact is, though, that organizations who serve need volunteers all year long. Where can you carve out a couple of hours in a week or a month to help those in need? What skill/knowledge do you have that you could share? What issue or need touches your heart?
For me, it’s helping other burn survivors. I was burned by hot water at the age of two. This experience has impacted my entire life, and inspired me to get involved with the Phoenix Society, which provides support and resources to burn survivors and their families. After volunteering for many years, I joined the Board in 2014 and am now Board Vice President. I’ve conducted workshops for volunteers, I’ve run for Team Phoenix in the Big Sur Half Marathon for the past 3 years, and I’ll be a featured speaker at the World Burn Conference in Dallas this fall.
There are myriad volunteer opportunities available. Here are a few of them.
BUILD is nonprofit organization in the San Francisco Bay Area that matches volunteers with high school students in under-resourced communities to help the students learn the fundamentals of business while developing critical 21st century skills. “Entrepreneurship is the hook. College is the goal.” BUILD has volunteer opportunities that range from 2 hours a week to 2-3 hours a year.
One Brick provides opportunities to make an impact without a long-term commitment. This nonprofit has 8 chapters nationwide – San Francisco, Silicon Valley, New York, Chicago, Washington D.C., Seattle, Boston, and national. Their model is to build local communities of volunteers that support other nonprofits “by creating a friendly and social atmosphere around volunteering.” Volunteer activities are usually followed by a gathering at a coffee shop or restaurant.
If you live or work in San Jose and enjoy reading with children, Grail Family Services is a local nonprofit that is always looking for Reading Mentors to help kindergarten and 1st grade students with their literacy skills. For an hour a week during the school year you can help launch an early elementary school student on the path to school success.
VolunteerMatch has opportunities all over the Bay Area for a variety of interests, including the environment, hunger, education and literacy, immigrants and refugees, crisis support, homeless and housing, and more.
And sometimes to give back you need look no further than your own organization. Do they have a mentoring program? Become a part of it. If there isn’t a formal mentoring program, start one. Or simply let it be known that you are interested in helping others move ahead on their career paths.
Most people who volunteer will tell you that they get back as much or more than they give. That has certainly been my experience. I am forever grateful for what I have received from the Phoenix Society. I signed up to ‘give back’ and I have gotten way more than I could ever give!
Often volunteers get to use or develop skills in a volunteer role that they may not have the opportunity to use or develop at work. They learn to better appreciate what they have by feeling the appreciation of those who have so much less.
Volunteering warms the heart and heals the soul. Not only that, according to an article in The Atlantic, people who volunteer live longer and healthier lives!
So what are you waiting for?
“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” – Mahatma Gandhi
Till next time,
Karen
