Volunteering for Health

Many of us may have volunteered once or twice in our life, but what many people may not know is that volunteering can actually be an excellent way to stay healthy! Volunteering allows us to stay active, connect and socialize with others, and make us feel good by giving back to our communities!

April is National Volunteer Month, so there’s no better time to check out some volunteer opportunities than right now! Even with the pandemic, there are so many in-person and virtual volunteer opportunities all around you, including opportunities for the whole family! "Two thirds of youths who volunteer become active adults who volunteer," says Tanisha Smith, national director of volunteer services for Volunteers of America. Kids love to copy their parents, so volunteering to show them the impact they can have on their community is a great way to lead the way.
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4 Health Benefits of Volunteering

While you are out making a difference in your community by volunteering, you also help you and your family stay healthy. Volunteering has many benefits associated with both our physical health and our mental health. Here are 4 health benefits of volunteering:

1. Boosts your mood: Doing things for others through volunteering can lead your body to release a chemical called endorphins. Endorphins can help boost your mood and can make you feel content and fulfilled! Read more about this in our Volunteer for Happiness blog! 
2. Builds social connections: Especially in times when a lot of things have been moved to a virtual setting, you may be missing some social interactions. Volunteering allows you to meet new people, have conversations and build a support system. Because of this, you can improve your mental health as you create new friendships!
3. Keeps you physically active: Many volunteer activities may require you to get out and move your body. I know the couch is tempting but as you move around, you are helping your heart to pump blood all around your body. This strengthens your heart, which allows your heart and you to stay healthy for a long time!
4. Increases your lifespan: The Longitudinal Study of Aging reported that people who volunteer are associated with longer life spans and lower mortality rates compared to those who don’t volunteer! ​

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Benefits to Your Community

Volunteering your time and skills for a cause can have so many benefits for the communities you are helping. The services volunteers provide allow nonprofit organizations to reduce the need for paid personnel to complete tasks. Volunteers play an integral role in helping organizations run smoothly to provide resources and services for those who need them most in the community.

Additionally, volunteering allows for diverse members of the community to come together for a common cause. This can help create friendships and a supportive environment so that everyone in the community can feel safer, stronger, and more united, creating a better place for everyone to live in.

Find Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteering for a cause you are passionate about makes it so much more fun! It may seem intimidating finding where to start, so here are some ways on how you can begin your search for volunteer opportunities:

• Try searching for opportunities on a volunteer database website like VolunteerMatch. You just put in your location, and if you want, a cause you care about, and the website will give you the best fitting volunteer opportunities for you!
• Ask your friends and families where they may be volunteering. Volunteering can be so much fun when you do it with someone you are close to, and you can make new friends together! Generation Serve is a wonderful local nonprofit with opportunities specifically for families to volunteer in the community.
• Check social media for events happening in your community. Events will need help with preparation, running the event, and cleaning up, so make sure to keep an eye out for opportunities to volunteer at local community events. These can be so much fun to attend, and you get to meet other community members!
• Check to see if there is a food bank or food pantry near you. With food donations from individuals and stores coming in, food banks are always looking for people to volunteer weekly. If you enjoy sorting and organizing, this may be the perfect volunteer opportunity for you! 
• Volunteering in-person or with a group of people not your thing? You can still volunteer virtually or even from the comfort of your car! Check out this helpful guide by Bankrate on different ways you can volunteer using your car. 
• Many organizations could always use a helping hand, so if you find an organization whose mission you are passionate about, try looking on their website for a volunteer page or for contact information. Reach out to let them know you are interested in volunteering and surely that organization would be more than happy to get you involved!

Right now, we need volunteers to assist us with packet pick-up for the Austin Marathon on April 24th, 2021. Check out our Austin Marathon Gives page for more information. You can use this link to sign-up to volunteer with us! The Austin Marathon is quickly approaching, and volunteer spots are filling up, but we would love to have you there with us, so sign up soon if you are interested! 

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We asked two of our current volunteers what their favorite thing is about volunteering and why they chose to volunteer at HealthStart. Here’s what some of our amazing HealthStart volunteers have to say!
 
Angie Campiz - Spanish Translator Volunteer
 
Q) What is your favorite thing about volunteering? 
 

1. My favorite thing about volunteering is knowing that the work and time I put in is helping someone, in contrast with conventional jobs which tend to be more focused on sales or capital. 

 
Q) Why did you choose to volunteer for HealthStart? 
 

1. I want to dedicate my career to helping nonprofits, especially those that focus on education and children. HealthStart seemed like the perfect place to start with!   

 
John Kearney - What Are You Feeding? Database Volunteer

Q) What is your favorite thing about volunteering? 

1. I won't say the volunteering I do is totally selfless. Even though I invest a fair amount of time and effort into a project, I also get a lot back. Having an opportunity to use my skills to help a laudable organization like HealthStart is certainly rewarding. And working with a knowledgeable, engaged partner in the organization, well, it just doesn't get any better than that.

Q) Why did you choose to volunteer for HealthStart? 
 

1. Since my volunteering is done virtually, with organizations typically far from my home location, I don't know anything about them until they show up online (e.g., VolunteerMatch). When I see a request that I might be able to fulfill, I have a set of criteria that I've learned (the hard way) to apply before I volunteer. Is the organization involved in a cause that I would be proud to support? Has the organization reached "critical mass"; e.g., does it have real members, sponsors and/or partners? Is their request sensible and realistic? My pre-volunteer scrutiny of HealthStart came up with the right answers to all my criteria, so I volunteered.

Here at HealthStart, we are always happy to welcome new volunteers throughout the year! If you are interested in building a healthier community for our kids, check out our Get Involved page for more information on how to volunteer with us or send us a message at Contact Us to put you on our volunteer list for future opportunities. ​

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References:
​The 3 health benefits of volunteering. (2021, September 16). Mayo Clinic Health System. https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/3-health-benefits-of-volunteering
Ways to Volunteer Using Your Car. (2021, March 15). Bankrate. https://www.bankrate.com/insurance/car/volunteer-using-your-car/
Here's why community service is important - Top 5 benefits. (2020, February 20). Habitat for Humanity. https://www.habitatbroward.org/why-community-service-is-important/
Mosebar, S. (n.d.). 12 unexpected health benefits of volunteering. BioTrust. https://blog.biotrust.com/12-health-benefits-volunteering/