May
2006
Since starting my new job, I have
been doing quite a bit of reading about who volunteers and why they
volunteer. Personally I know why I volunteer. I do it because I am
interested in the particular need or cause, and because volunteering
makes me feel good. As many of you know, there are health benefits to
volunteering. In the book “The Healing Power of Doing Good” author Allan
Luks found medical and scientific documentation supporting the health
benefits, such as: a heightened sense of well-being, an improvement of
insomnia, a stronger immune system, and speedier recovery from surgery.
The U.S.
Administration on Aging website states that older volunteers are
healthier than the senior population in general. They have fewer medical
problems. Volunteering increases one’s physical health and agility. By
volunteering the senior population stays physically active which lowers
the incidence of heart disease and diabetes. And finally, it states that
volunteering increases one’s cognitive and mental well-being. We have
all heard the saying, “use it or lose it” when it comes to both mental
and physical abilities. Volunteering helps keep the brain engaged and
protects the memory as people age.
As a volunteer,
seeing a smile or hearing a thank you is one of the best pleasures one
might receive. Eileen Brown, the RSVP Director in La Verne, CA, has
shared a list of the physical, mental and emotional benefits of
volunteering. Her list of the joys of volunteering include: answering a
need, building lasting relationships, caring for others, developing new
skills, earning respect and admiration, feeling good about yourself,
giving back to the community, hearing “thank you!” from all those you
help, inspiring others with your dedication, joining the millions like
you in improving the world, keeping active and involved, lifting
spirits, making a great use of your time and talents, noting the
difference your efforts make, opening doors to new experiences, putting
your compassion into action, quieting others’ worries and fears,
reaching out to people in need, spreading smiles wherever you go,
touching lives forever, understanding people better, vitalizing programs
with your service, warming hearts with your kindness, year-round
appreciation, and zeroing in on what’s important - being part of the
solution.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:
American Red
Cross has several openings for volunteers. The Red Cross is an
integral part of our community and relies on your help. If you would
like to be a part of their growth, and development in Lubbock, think
about donating some of your time. The Red Cross is especially interested
in volunteers who may be able to lend some time once a week in order to
greet clients, answer phones, etc. They also have several volunteer
opportunities for individuals who can receive instruction and work with
limited supervision to assist with or manage: data management and input,
cataloging and inventorying, community outreach programs, provide
assistance to victims of disasters, shelter operations management and
disaster action team members. They provide training in several different
categories or where required. The Red Cross depends on your expertise
and time to prepare for when disasters strike our community.
South Plains
Food Bank has as its mission to provide food for the area’s hungry
while preserving human dignity and offering self-sufficiency
opportunities, and to maintain and grow the donor base for food and
funds through partnerships at every level. The South Plains Food Bank is
divided into three very different, but equally important, parts. They
are the Food Bank Operations, the Farm Orchard and Garden Division and
Breedlove Dehydrated Foods. The Food Bank Operations needs volunteers to
help answer the phone and redeem vouchers from clients. The morning
shift is from 9-12:30 and the afternoon shift is from 12:30-5:00. This
position is on an on-call basis.
To
volunteer, or for more information about these or other volunteer
positions, please call the RSVP office at 742-2423.
HOW do I join RSVP?
Becoming a member of RSVP is simple as long as you are at least 55 and have some time to volunteer. Just call the office at 742-2423 and chat with Ronda Casey or
Dana Bear about your interests. If you are not certain what you would like to do, we can mention several current volunteer opportunities and send you a list of the sort of jobs which RSVP members are presently doing to whet your appetite. If you have a special skill or talent that you would like to utilize, we will search to find just the right job for you. Just mail in the
enrollment form
(requires Adobe Reader) and we will call you!
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