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Have You Tried It?

By: V. Deborah Culligan, RN, MPH,
Deputy Director QVHD

There are those who have made volunteering part of their life.  During this week of national recognition for volunteers (April 15-21) we thank them for their gift of time.  They don’t need to read any further in this column. But for those who have never volunteered or have not made volunteering part of your life, please read on. There are great benefits to gain for both you and the recipient of your time.   

We don’t usually think of volunteering as a way to help ourselves.  (Isn’t it the recipient who is supposed to benefit?) While it is true that your help does benefit the recipient, social science research has also demonstrated the personal health benefits gained from volunteering.

Volunteering can increase your overall sense of well-being. It can increase your level of happiness, life satisfaction, self-esteem, and sense of control over your life. It may also decrease depression and improve sleep. Sometimes, life changes, such as a death, a divorce or the empty-nest syndrome can leave us feeling empty, lonely or depressed. Volunteering gets you away from those feelings for a while and helps you to view your life in a broader context. Volunteering can help you to become more social and less isolated.

There have also been some studies done on volunteering and its effect on chronic pain. Research has shown that volunteering can lessen or alleviate chronic pain. How this works is not known, but some study participants relate that volunteering gives them a sense of connection to others and a purpose for themselves. Perhaps this connection and purpose leaves less time to focus on self.

Volunteering can also help you gain entry to a new profession or field. You might learn new skills or learn about a different profession. Some career counselors recommend volunteering as a first step into workforce re-entry. Many employers will hire a person with volunteer experience over someone who has no volunteer experience.

No matter what your reason for volunteering, you will undoubtedly reap great rewards from the experience. If you are interested in volunteering, but don’t know where to start, try contacting: churches, your town’s human services department, senior centers, local civic organizations, libraries, schools, hospitals or nursing homes. You could also contact InfoLine, 211 or call United Way of Greater New Haven, 203 772-2010 or visit their website, www.uwgnh.org. People volunteering together become “people power” and are sometimes the sole reason something gets accomplished!

Volunteering does not have to be through an organized group. You can help a friend or a neighbor. You can visit an elderly shut-in. You can help an overwhelmed mom in the grocery store. It may seem small to you, but to the person you helped, to the person you showed that you cared, it is huge. Consider these words:

• “To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived; that is to have succeeded.” (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
• “We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give.”(Winston Churchill)   
• “Wherever a man turns, he can find someone who needs him” (Albert Schweitzer)
• “No man can ever become rich without himself enriching others.” (Andrew Carnegie)
• “Volunteers are the only human beings on the face of the earth who reflect this nation’s compassion, unselfish caring, patience and just plain love for one another.” (Erma Bombeck)
• “The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the grandest intention.” (Oscar Wilde)  
• “Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.” (Leo Buscaglia.)   

Quinnipiack Valley Health District thanks all those who volunteer and help make the world a better place to live.

Quinnipiack Valley Health District
1151 Hartford Turnpike
North Haven, CT 06473

Phone. (203) 248-4528
Fax. (203) 248-6671
E-Mail. info@qvhd.org