Author: Liz Frome
Part of The Job Shop’s mission is to give back to the community you live and work in. We have done this from the first day we opened in January of 1998. We constantly search of ways we can volunteer as a team and encourage and promote nonprofits.
A lot of times we think we do not have the time, but it can simply be 1 -2 hours each quarter.
Not only are you giving back to the community, but it can also help with your job search! (You never know who you will meet along the way.)
If you are thinking of volunteering, I am here to to talk about the reasons why you should volunteer!
It's good for you.
Volunteering provides physical and mental rewards. After each volunteer project you step back and smile! You high five and hug your team members and can see the difference you have made.
It can reduce stress.
Experts report that when you focus on someone other than yourself, it interrupts usual tension-producing patterns. (Step away and put your problems aside. It can break the cycle if thinking the glass if half full and can show you a new perspective. You can soon realize your glass is overflowing.)
It can make you healthier.
Research says: Moods and emotions, like optimism, joy, and control over one's fate, strengthen the immune system. Why take vitamins, just volunteer!
It saves resources.
Volunteering provides valuable community services so more money can be spent on local improvements. They say that a volunteer’s time is estimated to value at $30 per hour.
Volunteers gain professional experience, and it can help in your job search.
You can test out a career and you can network why you are volunteering. (You never know who you will meet. A lot of volunteering will be alongside other companies. They can see the time you are putting in and will remember working hard alongside you.)
It brings people together.
As a volunteer you assist in: Uniting people from diverse backgrounds to work toward a common goal. It will help build camaraderie and teamwork. The Job Shop has done Christmas in April and in one day we would transform a home. We would step back and look at the smile on the homeowners face and realize what can be done when you have a common goal in mind.
Volunteering strengthens your community.
As a volunteer you help: Support families, improve schools (tutoring, literacy), support youth (mentoring and after-school programs), beautify the community (beach and park cleanups.) This is a very easy thing to do, and it can only take 1-2 hours of your time. The Job Shop has all the supplies in the office, and we will walk out of the office, for 1 hour and pick up trash around our neighborhood. We laugh, tell stories, get some sunshine and help improve our community. It is a great feeling when you are out there in your orange vest and the people walk by and say thank you!
Volunteering encourages civic responsibility.
Community service and volunteerism are an investment in our community and the people who live in it. A lot of times we need to step back and put ourselves in other people’s shoes to truly understand their needs. I love getting kids involved so they understand early on that they can make a difference with little time involved.
YOU MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
Every person counts!
Over the years The Job Shop has picked up trash, volunteered at the food bank, volunteered at the local animal shelters, handed out food, ran toy, food and clothing drives, Christmas in April – worked on people’s homes, walked in events to raise money for causes, volunteered at the local people shelters, helped with resumes, helped with interviewing, helped with tutoring kids and helped prepare candidates with computer tutorials. In looking back at all of the projects we have accomplished it feels GREAT that we as a company have made a BIG difference in our community!
So Google some places today that you may have an interest in volunteering or just step outside your door and walk a few blocks picking up trash. You can make a difference.
“We make a living by what we get but we make a life by what we give!”
Winston Churchill