As broke college students, volunteering our time away is often the last thing on our minds. Spending several hours a week working to help others for no pay? The immediate reaction: hell no. Why should we spend time that we could actually be earning money in a regular job, working for FREE? Well, let me tell you exactly why you should. First, let me take you back to when my charitable mindset first started.
This past June, I took on the challenge of moving to the craziest city in the world: New York City. I spent seven months living and studying there, while also interning at MTV over the summer and Lacoste over fall semester. I loved both of these internships so much, but you know what I loved most about them? I got paid. Friday mornings became 100 times better when I knew I would wake up to a nice deposit in my bank account, mainly because each of those deposits barely funded my food, Starbucks and shopping addictions.
I was fortunate enough to be able to go out and eat out basically every day of the week, sometimes at casual places, sometimes at high-end ones. I was also fortunate enough to meet people in the city who encouraged volunteering, while also attending charitable galas. As I would strut across the streets of Midtown, Carrie Bradshaw-style, I couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt every time I saw a homeless, hungry person begging on the streets. Now, a lot of us are skeptical about whether or not these people in Manhattan actually need the donations, or if they just need to fund other addictions, and I, too, will always be skeptical. However, these people can’t go buy anything with food, right? So that was it. Once I got over my fear of approaching these people, I started gathering my leftover meals, and handing them to whomever I would come across on the streets. It became a hobby of mine, and I almost started taking into consideration what these people might want to eat when I would even order for myself. The grateful eyes of these people, and their thankful salutations, are something that a paycheck will never, and can never buy. My heart ached for each and every one of them, but my heart became fuller every time I gave someone the other half of my enormous pizza pie.
So, you could say there’s some selfishness involved in this selflessness. Helping others not only helped the people being served, but it also helped me feel good about myself. It gave me that feeling that maybe I am a really good person, and if I’m a good person, then I should get good things in life. After putting some thought into it, I realized that there isn’t anything wrong with me helping others if it was benefitting me, as long as I was primarily doing it to benefit others (which I was). When it comes to satisfaction from volunteering and helping others, the more hearts that are the filled, the merrier.
Flash forward a few weeks after leaving the city at Christmastime to returning back to campus. I looked into the Elon Volunteers website, and with the help of some close friends, narrowed down the top volunteer positions that I knew I would feel good doing, and that I could contribute to helping others feel good in doing. I knew I wanted to do something with feeding the less fortunate once again, so a soup kitchen was at the top of the list. I also had decided that as I grew up and matured, it was time to get over what was basically a fear of children (I’m not kidding), and learn how I can use my life experiences and generosity to mentor these kids. I’ve spent the past month and half volunteering at least once a week for several hours with Allied Churches and the Boys and Girls Club, on top of an overloaded schedule and a leadership, so not having time to volunteer is never an excuse! The experiences have been so fulfilling for myself by knowing that I’m making a positive impact on so many lives on a weekly basis.
Each time a person at the soup kitchen thanks me for handing him/her a glass of water, his/her thirst is quenched, and my heart is full. Each time an adorable 5-year-old gives me a hug and asks me to play with him/her, I know that I’m helping this child become enriched in an activity that they may not have someone else to do with them. The thing about volunteering is that everyone benefits, and that’s necessary to life. Sometimes you might feel like you haven’t been the best version of yourself, so you seek out ways to find that fulfillment, and volunteering is an amazing (and easy!) way to do it. It teaches you how to be kind, patient, respectful, understanding and so much more. It opened my eyes to the person that I really strive to be one day, and that is a truly good-hearted person.
There’s no excuse to not volunteering. That’s basically saying, “I don’t have the time or want to help others.” There is ALWAYS time to help others because just one second, one minute, one hour, it makes an entire lifetime of a difference to the people who need the help. There are so many different opportunities to fit your needs, from playing board games with the elderly, to tutoring and mentoring children, to putting a piece of bread of someone’s plate. The next time you find yourself trying to find something to do (aka bored), or the next time you realize you wasted your entire day binge-watching on Netflix, carve out a small chunk of that time to go volunteer. It’s much more productive and fulfilling, and you’ll meet some new people with common interests, which is always a plus. I highly encourage anyone and everyone to at least give it a try, and see what benefits you and others reap. I guarantee you will never forget the feeling you felt when you’re truly thanked and appreciated for your service. It will make you so proud of yourself, and hey, I’ll be proud of you, too!
Check out the Elon Volunteers website for a list of services provided by campus organizations to get involved today!