By: Bailey Talaska
As a citizen and an aspiring professional, it is important to do your part and help the community around you. Here are four reasons why volunteering is beneficial.
1. Meet people and make connections
Volunteering allows you to meet people, work with others and make a difference. As a student volunteer with a passion for helping the community, you will be surrounded by others who have the same motive allowing connections to be made. It’s empowering to make a difference with others who care about the community and the world.
2. Help the community
As a volunteer, you help resolve the issues the community is facing. Common issues people face include not having access to food and shelter. There are food banks and shelters all over the world that would appreciate you volunteering your time to help and make a difference. Meeting the people involved with these programs and organizations may lead to different opportunities and will make you feel great as a human being.
3. Resume builder
Volunteer experience is a great addition to your resume. It allows for employers to see you’re involved and care about the community. This unique asset will set you apart and give you something to talk about during an interview. You can discuss how the experience helped you, how you worked with others and what you learned. Employers want to see that you are well-rounded student and person.
4. Bonding experience
Volunteering gives you the opportunity to bond with people around you, especially other volunteers. For instance, I went on an alternative spring break to Virginia. We stayed at a state park where we helped clean the area by picking up trash and repainting a barn. This experience allowed me to connect with people I wouldn't have met otherwise and since we shared the passion of helping others, it was easy for us to bond and connect on a deeper level.
Although volunteering as many benefits, the biggest one of all is the ability to make a difference in someone’s life and in the community. Get yourself out there, find a cause you care about and dedicate some of your time to make the world a better place.