Volunteering is one of the most selfless acts a person can do. It’s all about experiencing things as someone else experiences them, and making life a little better for the both of you. Some parents would rather their children spend their time studying instead of doing something selfless. Volunteering, to them, is nice in theory, but just not worth it. What if, though, volunteering could help you as much as it helps your community? There’s nothing selfish about seeking a win-win.
Here are three excellent (if slightly selfish) reasons to volunteer:
Do it for the money
The Corporation for National and Community Service estimates that, in the last year alone, volunteers across America have provided an estimated $184 billion in the value of their service. At first glance, that might seem impossible, but if we take it down to each individual person, it starts to make sense. Let’s pretend a volunteer at a soup kitchen got paid. Let’s say their minimum wage is $7.25 and they worked three hours every week, times 10 different volunteers at that soup kitchen. That’s $11,310 each year that the soup kitchen can spend on countless other things: fresh or canned food, extra for patrons to take home, or even something as simple as more comfortable chairs. The more time your child spends volunteering, the less money your city (and you as a taxpayer) have to spend on keeping that city clean and healthy.
Do it for the job
Though some might see volunteer hours as less time your child could spend at a job, statistics show that volunteering helps a lot in the long run. The Corporation for National and Community Service says that volunteers have a 27% better chance of finding a job than non-volunteers. On a more long-term note, volunteer hours are always on a college’s top list of things they look for on an application. Volunteering may mean lots of hours and transportation right now, but the shining spot on your child’s resume in the future makes it all worthwhile.
Do it for growth
Volunteering, in the end, is all about two things: making a difference and growing as a person. If your child has the opportunity to impact someone else’s life, it will always change their own. Even the thanks they get from something as dull as collecting trash or shelving books is enough to show them the impact they can have.
Sources:
https://www.volunteeringinamerica.gov/
https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/get-in/applying-101/character-counts-what-are-colleges-looking-for
