Looking for a very meaningful volunteer opportunity? Do you want to help somebody who really needs help? You are not alone, and the Dale Association is currently looking for volunteers for our front desk reception area, CARE telephone reassurance program for homebound seniors, and BINGO, among other volunteer opportunities.
People volunteer for various reasons, some of which are more obvious than others. The tradition has long been that volunteering is a form of charity and the best volunteering does involve the desire to help others. It is OK to want to benefit yourself from volunteering, too.
Studies show that giving back through volunteering can have numerous health benefits. The Corporation for National and Community Service reports, “States with higher volunteer rates also have better health and … there is a significant statistical relationship between states with higher volunteer rates and lower incidents of mortality and heart disease.”
Numerous scientific studies show that volunteering can result in significant mental and physical health benefits. Helping can bring on a rush of euphoria, followed by a longer period of calm, often called a “helper’s high” that releases the body’s natural painkiller, endorphins, and reverses feelings of depression, hostility and stress. Reducing stress can have such health benefits as reducing obesity, sleeplessness, acid stomach, backache, headache and more, according to the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation.
Here are a few more happy findings about volunteerism:
The greater the frequency of volunteering, the greater the health benefits.
Personal contact with the people being helped is important.
“Helper’s high” results most from helping people we don’t know.
Regular club attendance, volunteering, entertaining or group attendance is the “happiness equivalent” of getting a college degree or more than doubling your income.
Trends in volunteering show: nationally, 109 million people volunteer; corporate volunteering is up – 81% of companies surveyed connect volunteering to their overall business strategies; and 28 million senior volunteers gave approximately 5 billion hours of time annually, which is a value of $71.2 billion to non-profit organizations and causes in the United States. In a recent volunteerism survey, 44% of American adults volunteered their time in some way with an organization. Traditionally, women are more likely to volunteer than men. Today’s volunteers are aware of the value of their contributions and they are selective about where they invest their time and energy.
To everyone who already gives of your time so generously, thank you on behalf of all non-profit organizations! Keep up the good work, you are so needed.
For those of you who are thinking about volunteering, back to current volunteer opportunities at The Dale…
Front desk volunteers greet people as they enter the Dale Association / Lockport Senior Centre, answer the phone, register people for activities and perform other miscellaneous related duties. Training is provided. Volunteers are needed for morning or afternoon and generally volunteer for 3 to 4 hours one day per week Monday through Friday. If you have a day of the week that is best for you, please consider inquiring about volunteering at the front desk. Our senior center is located at 33 Ontario St., Lockport.
CARE is a telephone reassurance program for which volunteers make calls to homebound individuals. If you are interested in making a “friendly call” to an individual and you prefer to do your volunteer work without leaving home, this is the volunteer opportunity for you. CARE volunteers call from home to the same individual on a scheduled basis. The calls are generally short in nature. Dale staff work with the CARE volunteers to make it easy to become comfortable being a volunteer and getting oriented.
BINGO is held at the Dale Association on Friday evenings and applications for new Bingo volunteers are currently being accepted. Volunteers typically work one Friday per month, but scheduling is flexible. Volunteers work as part of a group, with others in similar roles. Training is provided. Volunteers are needed from 5:30 to approximately 8:30 p.m.
Volunteer opportunities exist all year long; we need volunteers now. Senior center director Gretchen Doty says, “Volunteers are the heart of our agency. They have so much to offer!” Anybody who is interested in volunteering is encouraged to contact Gretchen at 716-433-1886, extension 103, or Gretchen.doty@daleassociation.com.
Doing good comes in many forms, and we recognize, appreciate and celebrate them all.