Volunteering: The Mental Health Medicine

– Mary Shirkey-Bishop, Packwood, Iowa

How can a person in their community become more engaged with opportunities that support good causes? They can give time and effort to non-profit organizations by the act of volunteering. Volunteerism is a contribution of free labor donating time and energy to a non-profit organization. The motivation is to change the lives of those in the community who need assistance or resources to improve their lives. Volunteers come in all ages, even young at heart with supervision benefit from lending a helping hand.

Volunteering may be short term or a steady long-term relationship to a non-profit organization. The amount of time a volunteer provides depends on the needs of the community and the vision of the projects. Non-profit organizations may change direction and no longer require volunteers to spend as many hours as anticipated.  Each organization will have a vision or mission statement to complete projects requiring outside community help. This is where the volunteerism act comes into play, allowing people in the community to find the niche that best fits their skills and personality. Charity organizations are a good place to start when seeking out volunteer time and hours.

Background to The History of Volunteer Work

How did the word “volunteer” become a part of everyday conversation? The answer to that question dates back to 1755. Volunteerism roots began in the United States during the Revolutionary War when civilians came together to support the war effort. The American Red Cross, one of the most recognized and influential humanitarian organizations in the world, was founded by Clara Barton in 1881. She provided the roadmap for leadership of volunteer work. The word ”volunteer” originates  in Latin and means willing or of one’s own choice.

Volunteer Work Categories

Environmental. If you are an outdoors lover, conservation projects such as nature trail construction , nature species management, and animal protection might fit your skill sets. The projects provide hands on experience and life skills of working independently, working along a team of other mentors, and exploring the great outdoors. As a volunteer you gain experience in animal protection and advocacy. A farm work setting finds volunteers feeding animals, doing fence repair and building, harvesting, and animal care. Life skills of reliability, communication, and commitment demonstrate character. Climate change provides opportunities when mother nature is not kind to our climate. Tree planting, joining an environmental group, and forming a local political group to advocate political change of protecting the climate are all ways to serve. Citizen science projects allow the volunteer to be aware of scientific information. This is a term that may seem confusing. An example project would be bird watching and migration. Citizen science is the practice of public participation and collaboration in scientific research to increase scientific knowledge. Through citizen science, people share and contribute to data monitoring and collection programs. Usually this participation is done as an unpaid volunteer.

Animals Rescue and Care. Animal shelters are always pleased to see volunteers. If you enjoy being around cats and dogs, then the shelter is a good fit. Feeding, bathing, cleaning the cages, helping with rescue efforts, attending fund-raising events, and participating in social media shows volunteers the responsibilities involved with caring for an animal. The volunteer may be part of the rescue team by car transport to the vet for assessment of the animal. Wildlife projects often involve protecting native animals and their natural habitat. Volunteers may assist with nature volunteer groups who observe, study, and educate others in a wide range of settings. The volunteer performs the needed tasks of planting trees or weeding the landscape to preserve the environment.

Social/Teaching. There are endless volunteer projects to participate as a teacher, mentor, educator, and helper. If you are motivated to take classes to keep in the loop on educational issues and updates on changes, then sharing knowledge is priceless. Other tasks that a volunteer may enjoy is assisting with preparation of lesson plans, making copies, assisting with grading papers, delegating tasks to others, and planning fun events and activities that make it fun for the student and volunteer. All participants should feel the time spent is worthy, educational, and valuable. During COVID-19, volunteers who were in the school setting had to adjust to virtual events of volunteering. Volunteers had to acquaint themselves with technology as some tasks were completed remotely on-line. Tutoring local children on coursework or even teaching the English language are opportunities of learning. If you are a high school student and want to gain experience for future careers in counseling, charity, and education, working with children and youth provides many ways to volunteer. Children and youth attend summer camps, youth groups and clubs, and scout meetings. Families that have high needs children utilize support groups or charities that offer health services and emotional support. The volunteer can help with play, lessons, assist with stocking supplies, or simply answer the phone if a hot-line is one of  the services provided. Community development  involves charity in disadvantaged communities distributing food, clothing, shelter supplies, and emergency supplies. Meeting a diverse population, the volunteer must be open-minded and have a people person disposition to interact with citizens in this kind of setting. Food pantries, homeless shelters, domestic crisis centers, and support groups of domestic violence can help you make connections with your local community. In times of natural disasters such as bush fires, floods, tornadoes, and drought, there is a need for countless volunteers. Groups of people work together to build a better and stronger community.

Health Care. This is a broad spectrum setting because volunteers most commonly interact with the elderly and older population. It is a great opportunity to improve the lives of older generations. For the elderly, time is the best gift they want or need. Check your local nursing home, hospital, or even a local Meals on Wheels organization. A volunteer could help a resident with writing letters, delivering valentines written by students, or providing music entertainment to the nursing home. In the hospital setting, a volunteer could deliver flowers, help give directions to visitors or work in the gift shop. If wanting to pursue a career in counseling, volunteer work in this area can provide real-world experience and insight into the principles of helping others. You may even find your calling! Sometimes a volunteer may offer emotional support for the non-profit organization just by sitting with a loved one or a patient. A hospice organization provides volunteers who sit with the client as a way to support the caregiver and family member. Emotional support plays an important part in the mental and grief process.

Sporting and Leisure Events. This category is season-round. Sporting events take all kinds of personalities and talents to make it a successful event. Depending on who is sponsoring the event or the location of the event, tasks need to be completed. Coaching, officiating, registration of participants, serving on a committee, and acted as master of ceremony develop team player qualities. Your local YMCA is a good resource to discover sporting events and decide which avenue best fits you. Local Fun Runs depend on volunteers to hand out ribbons, set up the scene, time the runners, and tear down (just to name a few tasks).

Benefits of Volunteer Work

There are many positive results to your mental health of participating in volunteer projects. Mental rewards include lowering rates of depression and anxiety, stimulating the mind mentally, connecting you to others, and providing a sense of purpose. Physically, volunteering reduces stress and helps with coping strategies, strengthens your immune system, and improves moods and emotions of joy, self-control, and optimism. As we age, it is important to find ways to keep gaining knowledge and remain socially connected.

Volunteer work helps gain knowledge of interpersonal communication, time management, leadership, delegation, communication, and problem-solving are all skills that are transferrable throughout life. Through volunteer work, the volunteer makes networking connections that could open doors for advancement in your career.

With summer upon us, county fairs and the Iowa State Fair are events that need numerous volunteers. Benefits of volunteering in this particular setting is learning about your community while showing fair spirit. Looking at fair static projects, watching the exhibitors show their animals, and attending the competitions of queen competition are ways to show community pride. All ages of youth to the elderly can contribute volunteer hours.

In summary, there are the 3 T’s of volunteer work – time, talent, and treasure. There are also core values and expectations of volunteers. When you decide to volunteer, you are making a commitment to that organization or event with time and effort. It is doing what is right and fair. A volunteer respects the organization and observes the work ethic in performing the responsibilities of tasks assigned.

Volunteers can be creative and search for strategies to effectively get the job done with approval. Time is what you are giving for a cause of your choice. Talent means thinking outside the box to bring a positive change. Treasure is money that can be used to make an impact through donations. Fund-raising is something that all organizations rely on – volunteers help make projects a success. We have all heard the golden rule,” Treat others as you would want to be treated”. This also applies to the concept of volunteerism.