Do Your New Year's Resolutions Include Volunteering? We've got you covered!
Have you made a New Year’s Resolution for 2020? Each year, many Americans resolve to turn over a new leaf, to start the year off on a positive note, with a plan to do something that makes them healthier or happier, or helps to make their community a better place. When you decide to become a volunteer, you can cover all three goals in one resolution!
“Volunteerism contributes to a happier and healthier life” was a finding of the 2017 “Doing Good is Good for You” study, sponsored by United Health Care and VolunteerMatch. Among people who had volunteered in the previous 12 months, 75% reported that volunteering made them feel physically healthier; 34% said that the activity helped them feel they could better manage chronic illnesses. A Carnegie Mellon University study in 2013 found that adults over 50 who volunteered regularly were less likely to develop high blood pressure, a major risk factor for heart attack, stroke, heart failure and metabolic syndrome.
“Let our New Year’s Resolution be this: we will be there for one another as fellow members of humanity, in the finest sense of the word.”
The VolunteerMatch study found an even more dramatic connection between volunteerism and mental/emotional health. Almost all volunteers reported an improvement in mood (93%), lower stress levels (79%) and improved self-esteem (88%). “Volunteers believe they are more calm and peaceful and have more energy to a greater extent than those who have not volunteered in the past year.”
Volunteering improves many aspects of people’s lives. The study also found that:
94% of volunteers report an enriched sense of purpose,
89% of volunteers report an expanded world view,
85% of volunteers have developed friendships through their volunteer work.
Meaningful and Flexible Volunteer Positions Available.
If you or someone you know is ready to resolve to become a volunteer in 2020, The Absolute Hospice Foundation has many meaningful and flexible volunteer opportunities available. Volunteers are crucial to the hospice experience and provide support in many ways to terminally ill patients and their families. Volunteers provide companionship and support for patients and family members; they share their musical or other artistic talents; they provide veteran to veteran support; some even make pet visits to brighten people’s day with a furry friend. There are so many ways you can get involved! Times and locations are flexible and you can give as much or as little time as you can spare – even one hour a month can make a difference in a patient’s life.
