Volunteer – It’s Good for Your Health and Can Help Build Resilience by Cindy Stradling CSP, CPC

It’s very easy to get caught up in your own life and your business’ work. In fact, many successful leaders find their days completely full with work and family commitments. However, the most happiest and most successful people make time to give back to their community through some type of volunteer work, even though it may mean taking time away from work to do so.

A few stats…

12.5 Million Canadians volunteer every year
2.1 Billion is the number of hours that Canadians volunteer – that equals 1.1 million full time jobs

And that’s not all…
54% of all non-profit and charitable organizations have no paid staff…
73% of businesses either support or accommodate employee volunteering
95% of Canadians engage in at least one form of social support

1. Volunteering helps you see the bigger picture. When you work with a charitable organization by donating your time, you get a fresh perspective on the world. It helps you to move past the realities of your own little world and see other priorities in life.
2. Volunteering makes you feel good about what you do. No matter how many things you have to move around to make time to volunteer, you are certain to feel better about yourself, your life and your contributions to the world when you take the time to give something back. Research has even shown that people who volunteer live longer, healthier lives.
3. It helps you to make connections. The people you meet while volunteering can become some of your most important connections. These people may become an important part of your personal or business life. You’re likely to find that you meet a more diverse population of people when volunteering than you do through work, which helps you to enlarge your circle with different perspectives.

There are many different types of organizations looking for volunteers and many different types of roles to fill within these organizations. It is easy to find something that suits both your passion for others and your personality. Whether you work in your church, a local school or a charitable organization that caters to humans or animals, you’re certain to find that volunteering makes as big an impact on your life as it does on the community you serve.

Something interesting to note: Children and youth are more likely to become engaged citizens if they see someone they admire helping others including their parents or grandparents
So if you ever think that that you don’t make a difference – think again – you do – a BIG difference