According to a recent study by the Rand Institute, approximately fifty percent of Americans are active volunteers that give an average of four hours a week to the cause of their choice. It appears that people from all walks of life, seniors, youth and those from every socio-economic level are involved in volunteering. Accordingly, it seems that this country is the only country in the world where volunteering is a pervasive characteristic of its population.
So why volunteer?
As we know, people who get involved with public causes open themselves up to frustration, disappointment and ridicule from those who don't agree with the cause or its direction. However, throughout the experience, whether pleasant or not, it is the moment when you realize that a change is taking place for the better that a sense of joy and accomplishment can be realized. After all, when we start taking a mental inventory of the meaningful things that we have done in our life, these types of experiences will surely be among the high points. Happiness is a simple thing, despite how complicated we try to make it or the substitutes with which we try to replace it. It often comes down to caring and having the ability to make a difference that will ensure our sense of fulfillment. There is an even simpler way to look at the meaning of volunteer service, and it comes from a quote from an old epitaph, as follows:
What I spent is gone
What I kept is lost
But what I gave to charity
Will be mine forever
How you describe voluntary service doesn't really make much difference. It is the ACT of giving and of caring as well as the resolve to make things better that are the basic ingredients of volunteer service. There are many ways to describe why we serve, but it is the action and enthusiasm that are equally essential to reaching the reward of being among people who are at their best when giving their best to a meaningful cause. When you are looking at volunteering for service in your community association, remember that your time in service to your community should be approached with a positive attitude and with the idea that you are there to help improve your community - - which will make your unpaid service on the Board or Committee that much more rewarding. After all, we Americans believe in giving.
