Jenna Lawrence | Opinion Editor
Here at Eastern there are an abundance of volunteering opportunities, especially since we have the CCE (the Center for Community Engagement). At the CCE, you can volunteer at local soup kitchens, elementary and middle schools, senior centers, and more, which you can view on Eastern’s website. As someone who volunteers with them, I’m here to advocate for more people to get involved and why they should. Here are some benefits of volunteering:
Volunteering is great for your community.
First of all, volunteering is great for your community. Community service helps others in your community who may be in need. It helps groups of people like teachers if you’re volunteering at a school, or nurses or other workers if you volunteer at a hospital or medical facility. Helping others is always something nice we can do as members of a community.
Volunteering can help you gain exposure to diverse groups of people and broaden your connections and network.
When you volunteer, you work with many different people. And you’re all there to make life easier for whoever/ whatever you’re volunteering for. Therefore, you can make more connections with different people and even advance your career or status if volunteering applies to your degree or future occupation. Volunteering is great for resumes as well. At the CCE specifically, there are internship opportunities and staff jobs for Eastern students.
Volunteering helps improve different skills.
Depending on where you’re volunteering, there are different opportunities to work on your skills. Common skills that can be improved or gained through volunteering are communication, teamwork, problem solving, leadership and more. These skills can be used throughout your daily life and your future career, so building them up now is extremely important and helpful for your future.
Volunteering can simply make you happy!
Community service has shown to improve your health in several ways. There are volunteer opportunities that can keep you physically active, like ones at elementary and middle schools where you run around with and play with the students. It can keep you busy and walking around, which is great for your health.
Not only is volunteering good for your physical health, but it can also improve your mental health. Being around others for the purpose of helping others can boost your mood and give you a good support system. It also can boost your self-esteem and confidence levels. After volunteering, you feel as though you did something good for your community and that can give you a good sense of pride and leave you feeling good about yourself and your impact on your society.
Volunteering is something everyone should do at least once in their life. There are so many other benefits to volunteering and engaging in community service, but the few I spoke of are the most valuable in my opinion. To sign up for any volunteering program, you can do so through E-Web under the Center for Community Engagement link. There are many programs to sign up for but do it soon in case they fill up!
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