QUIZ:  What's your Volunteer Type

How is this for a happy scenario: You would like to get out of the office for half a day and spend some time volunteering in your community. So you approach your boss and request to head out for awhile to go plant trees or help at the soup kitchen. Your boss, rather than laughing you out of her office, replies, "Sure! See you this afternoon."

Turns out, that scenario might not be so radical after all, thanks to a study that has found companies gain by allowing employees to volunteer in place of working every so often since they come back happier, more productive employees.

It seems like such a simple connection: knowing that your company supports you helping your community makes you more dedicated to your job while you're in the office, both out of appreciation for the company as well as simply feeling more joyful in your own life. Plus, volunteering becomes less of a conflict with work and the rest of one's life. There's less stress for fitting in volunteering in between your last meeting at work and making dinner for the kids, or trying to shove an hour of community service into your lunch hour.
Researchers found that employees who volunteered were more likely to work harder on and focus better on tasks, speak positively about their employer in public, and even take less time off work in the long run.
Study results like these could help bolster the numbers of Americans volunteering. About 27% of Americans donate time to a nonprofit, and 35% of US companies have a formal volunteer program. Imagine how much more could be accomplished nationwide if these numbers were doubled.

 EVERYDAY HEROES

 

Here's to the everyday heroes,
The volunteers who do what they can,
To ease the suffering of others,
And be of service to their fellow man.

May they know the true satisfaction
That comes from helping others
Less fortunate than themselves,
But no less their sisters and brothers.

May they feel the gratitude in our hearts
For all of the good that they've done.
The appreciation that we all feel for them
Is truly second to none.

 

PLEASE BE NICE, I'M A VOLUNTEER

 

 

 

 

VOLUNTEERING CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE...

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

Pursuing spiritual growth is a tough journey. Whether we are seeking to learn a new hobby, heal from a traumatic event, or simply try to live each day as peacefully as we are able, spiritual growth is challenging and a lot of people may be discouraged before they even begin.

While reflecting within is the best way to achieve this kind of development, there is good news: sometimes, we have to look outside of ourselves in order to strive for spiritual growth! The best way to do this? Volunteer.

Volunteers at Christian HELP are needed each day. Your help, no matter how insignificant you think it may be, is appreciated far more than you realize. Think of all that needs to be accomplished within your community. Imagine if everybody devoted an hour or two each week into giving back. What a difference it would make! Why not lead the charge?

Sometimes we all need a gentle reminder that our lives are not the only ones that need improvement. There is perhaps no experience more humbling than volunteering at our Food Pantry; opening your eyes to what is really going on in the world and learning that you really are a lucky human being is very spiritually awakening.

Yes volunteering can really change your life. The way we generally look at volunteering is from the give-perspective: giving a portion of your time, resources, and abilities for generally a good cause. There’s nothing wrong with this definition. But it overlooks a very significant part of volunteering – what you as a volunteer get out of it; because you get so much more than you give. And I am talking about some very objective benefits here – improved people skills, developing a strong network, a symbiotic relationship with the community, valuable life skills, and practical bankable experience. All of which are critical to your success in any aspect of life.

Lending a helping hand to other people is enormously rewarding. Not only do you learn new things along your journey, you fill it with people that are working with you, not against you. Furthermore, volunteering is a quick way for you to feel good about yourself. Have you felt as though you need guidance or some sense of direction in your life? Have you felt unworthy or unloved lately? Volunteer. The experience will move you profoundly

I was always motivated by the song from “Joseph: King of Dreams”

“You’ve got to give a little more than you take,
You’ve got to leave a little more than was here,
You maybe prideful of the strides you will make,
But keep one thing clear,
You’re just a player in a much bigger plan,
And still you have to give it all that you can,
The very measure of your soul is at stake,
You’ve got to give a little more than you take

CONFESSIONS OF A TEEN VOLUNTEER ... i thought the job would be tedious!

On June 3, 2013, I volunteered at the Christian HELP food pantry. I didn’t have any mandatory hours that I needed to complete for my school or a club. I just wanted to help out those in need. I thought that the job would be tedious at first, but I soon realized how important it was. I realized how sad it is that people that live 20 minutes from our school are only supplied with the food from this food pantry. It was shocking to see how much a family is living off of. It made me realize how fortunate I am to have so much food. I certainly will be going back to this food pantry to help out even more. I always denied that there were many people going without food in Florida. When I saw it first hand, it really made an impact. I felt great giving back to the community by volunteering here. I feel really great that I volunteered. This trip has actually caused me to consider donating money to a local food pantry. I use my money on food that I already have enough of and there are people near my school that are eating rice and pasta every single night of the week. This food pantry gave some interesting foods which might make some families week a little bit nicer than normal. Many people look at poor people and think that they did something to become poor. This is wrong. People have gone through many things that you don’t know about and it is extremely hard to dig yourself out of that hole once you get into it.

My school had a poverty day. Everyone was placed randomly into low-income, medium-income, and high-income. Depending on what income you had was your meal. I was placed into the low-income. I had to eat rice and water. It was hard for me to concentrate on my studies for the rest of the day. My stomach was growling in hunger and I was blanking out on my quizzes and tests that day. Kids in our state and going to school like that everyday and it is wrong to accuse them of not trying in school. It makes it extra hard to do well in school when you’re so hungry. This cycle will keep repeating and repeating until someone helps. That is why I was excited to volunteer at the food pantry. I felt great knowing that I put joy into some of these families.

Jason Carter, Casselberry, Florida

VOLUNTEERING IS A MUST FOR YOUR RESUME!

Have you ever stared at your resume thinking, “Man, I haven’t added anything new to this in over a year!”? For those of you that can say no to that question – great, keep up the good work. For those of you who haven’t had a chance to rock an awesome internship or simply don’t have many work or outside-of-class experiences, then volunteering is the perfect solution. However, even if you do have an outstanding resume, volunteering can only help you personally and professionally.
When determining where to contribute your time, it is important to remember to do something that will leave you with a sense of fulfillment and benevolence. Volunteer for an organization or a cause that you support or are passionate about.
It also wouldn’t hurt to do some strategic volunteering – using your time and energy for helping the community and helping yourself professionally. Strategic volunteering can be handled in two ways:

• You want your time spent volunteering to highlight your professional skills, but you are unsure of how to do that. For whichever organization you want to volunteer for, simply taking the initiative and asking for a leadership position or something with more responsibilities can do the trick.
• After researching a prospective agency or business, you learn that said employer supports a certain cause. Volunteering for an organization that supports the same cause will stand out to that employer by showing you care about similar issues and may place you higher on their interview callback list. (YES!)

Whether you decide to volunteer for the sake of helping out and fulfilling your altruistic needs or you are more selective in how and where you volunteer, it will still do wonders for your resume. Besides adding something fresh and recent to the mix, volunteer work on a resume can distinguish you from other Employers want the best of the bunch and what better way to show you are THE best than by volunteering.
Four reasons why volunteering is a must for your resume:

1. It shows that you are open to new experiences
2. It shows you have a sense of community and your ability to collaborate towards a common goal
3. It demonstrates your willingness to take initiative
4. It demonstrates that you have interests beyond the classroom

According to Jason Willett, director of communications at VolunteerMatch, “Mentioning volunteerism-related skills that are relevant to the professional world is one of the best ways to position yourself for a new career field.” A few valued professional skills that volunteer work can highlight include self-motivation, leadership, planning and coordinating projects, as well as the ability to work in a team.
Furthermore, a survey conducted by LinkedIn found that 41 percent of employers consider volunteer work as important as paid work and that 20 percent said they have made a hiring decision based on volunteer work. Due to these findings, LinkedIn added a field for members to list their volunteer work on their profiles this past September.
LinkedIn spokeswoman Krista Canfield stated, “It was the most requested field. People realize that one way to nudge ahead of the competition is through volunteer work. In this economy, you don’t have to sit on the couch. Go find a nonprofit that needs help and build a skill set while doing good.”

Volunteering is Habit Forming!

Christian HELP is so thankful for the many volunteers we have on a daily basis and for special projects during the year.  Volunteering seems to be so habit forming that many of our volunteers have been here for will over 10 years!

Thank you to Ron, Gwen, Eva, and Miss Annie May who have volunteered in the pantry for over 10 years!

Gwen with Aimee in the food pantry