Giving Back: The Impact of Volunteering
Volunteering in your community is one of the many key factors that leads to overall community success! It can be a very rewarding experience that allows you to give back to your area in a direct way. This week we are taking a closer look into the many volunteer opportunities in Liberty County.
Why volunteer?
Volunteering can help your community thrive & grow, but the benefits for you, as the volunteer, can be even greater! Finding the right organization to volunteer for or finding a cause that you are passionate about can be a great opportunity for networking. Volunteering is a fun and often easy way to explore your interests and passions. Doing volunteer work that you find meaningful and interesting can be a relaxing, energizing escape from your day-to-day routine of work, school, or family commitments. Volunteering also provides you with renewed creativity, motivation, and vision that can carry over into your personal and professional life. Uniting with people who share common interests as you can lead to:
- Finding friends – Many volunteering opportunities allow for you to connect with other people & discover common interest.
- Connecting with the community – There are a lot of community-oriented volunteer-based organizations that will allow you to connect with your community.
- Learning new skills – Just like with anything new you’ll have the chance to learn & gain new skills that can help you not only in your professional life but in your personal life as well.
Benefits of volunteering
Volunteering offers you the chance to try out a new career without making a long-term commitment. It is also a great way to gain experience in a new field. In some fields, you can volunteer directly at an organization that does the kind of work you’re interested in. Your volunteer work might also expose you to professional organizations or internships that could benefit your career.
Giving to others can also help better your mental & physical health. By volunteering in your free time, you can:
- Reduce stress – Nothing relieves stress better than a meaningful connection to another person. Working with pets and other animals has also been shown to improve mood and reduce stress and anxiety.
- It can provide a sense of purpose.
- It doesn’t have to involve a long-term commitment, so there’s no pressure!
Local organizations you can volunteer for…
- Backpack Buddies/United Way– The Backpack Buddies Program🎒serves over 500 local school children weekly. They provide two nutritious meals & a snack to help combat weekend food insecurities. If you are willing to transport bags weekly to local schools in our community sign up here.
- Adopt Liberty/Keep Liberty Beautiful (KLB)- One of the many focuses of KLB is recycling ♻️ and litter prevention. This is accomplished through various clean ups such as Rivers Alive, Great American Cleanup & their Adopt Liberty You can partner with family, friends or neighbors & adopt a street in Liberty County and pick up litter at least once a quarter. KLB will supply you with all the supplies, all you have to do is provide your time.
- Atlantic Area CASA– Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteers are officers of the court who are empowered to make a lifelong difference in the lives of abused and neglected children in foster care. CASA volunteers come from all walks of life. Some have years of education & professional experience working with children & families. Some grew up in foster care & felt the sorrow of moving from home to home. Many, however, simply have a desire to help abused & neglected children find safe, permanent homes. Being a CASA volunteer does not require any special background or education. With your help, they can reach our goal. Find out more information here.
As you can see there are many pros to volunteering and here in Liberty County, we have some great organizations & causes to volunteer for. We encourage & challenge everyone to donate their time for a cause & make a difference in the life of someone else in your community.
