6 Ways Volunteering Changes Your Life
With fall comes all sorts of new beginnings, and I often find myself wanting to get involved in something new. This year, I really wanted to volunteer more. At Molloy College, one of our core values is to give back through service to others. Molloy offers plenty of opportunities for students to get involved in volunteering, from walks and donation drives, to Midnight Runs and Boxtown. Volunteering can be life-changing. Here are some of the ways in which volunteering changes your life.
“Little Moments Make It Worth It.”
During my time at Molloy, I’ve participated in the Alternative Spring Break trip to New Orleans twice. The first time I went, our group met a really amazing woman who had survived Hurricane Katrina. She told us her story, and we sat with her every day at lunch and included her as we all worked together to build a home. The second time I went, we met her again. This time, she showed us her brand-new Habitat for Humanity home, and told us that one of the ways that she made it through the difficult time in her life without a permanent home was through our Molloy group talking to her, including her at lunch, and being so welcoming to her. This was the most satisfying thing we could hear as a group of volunteers.
Last year, my boyfriend and I set up a book drive in our communities of Valley Stream and Smithtown. While the coordinating and collecting of books was at times frustrating, when we donated half of them to Reading Partners in Queens, the look on the children’s faces made it all worth it. They were ecstatic to be receiving new reading material! That made every hectic moment of the drive completely worth it and gave me a content feeling that only comes from volunteering and giving back.
Inspiration
During my first spring break with Molloy in New Orleans, I met a rather lackluster AmeriCorps volunteer who initially gave me a really negative view of the program. The second year, I met a really enthusiastic, excited AmeriCorps volunteer who changed my entire perspective on the program and actually inspired me to want to apply after college! You never know what kind of people you’ll meet, stories you’ll hear, and new things you’ll learn when you volunteer.
Connection
This one goes without much explanation – volunteering and meeting other people who want to give back to their community is a great way to make new friends, meet potential boyfriends or girlfriends, and network with professionals in fields that you might be interested in working in.
It’s a Resume Builder!
There’s no doubt about it – committing to volunteering is a great resume enhancer and an excellent conversation piece for interviews! That’s not to say that you should put every walk you participate in or every drive you donate to on your resume, but do consider adding the experiences that took more time and effort to a special “volunteer” section on your resume.
It Costs Nothing But Your Time
Let’s face it –we’re all college students, and sometimes we have to have some fun on a budget. Giving back is a great way to spend the day with your friends or family, and most of the time, there is no cost obligation other than your time.
Explore Passions Without Pressure
Work and internships can often come with a lot of pressure and expectations to perform well constantly, and it’s often difficult to get a job or internship without at least some experience in whatever you’re applying for. Volunteering is a great way to hone skills, learn new skills, and try out things that you might have been interested in exploring further without the pressure of it not fitting with your path of study or career goals. For example, I’ve always wanted to teach English as a Second Language, but did not want to pursue it in college. My church had some opportunities for volunteers to teach, so I decided to give it a shot!
Interested in opportunities to volunteer? Websites like VolunteerMatch and NYC Serve are great places to find volunteer opportunities in nearly any field. You might also want to try reaching out to your local church, temple or community center. At Molloy, Campus Ministries, the Office of Experiential Learning, and the Career Development Center can all help as well! Get out there and start helping!