Giving Doesn’t Have to be Hard
As we all know, times are hard and tough times force hard choices. Many of us are wondering how we will make the monthly bills and are having to reduce the amounts we would normally give to non-profit organizations as our way of helping out the community. We all lead busy lives and giving money is an easy way for us do our part to help others. As we find this more and more difficult to do, we may think that we have nothing left to give and hope that someone else will be able to make up the difference.
In fact, each of us has much more to give. We can all give a little of our time and volunteer to lend a helping hand and make a difference in someone else’s life. According to Wikipedia, a volunteer is someone who works for a community or for the benefit of the environment primarily because they choose to do so. The word comes from Latin, and can be translated as “will” (as in doing something out of ones own free will). Many serve through a non-profit organization – sometimes referred to as formal volunteering, but a significant number also serve less formally, either individually or as part of a group.
Volunteering can be easy and doesn’t have to take up much of your time. It can even be done from home. Check with your neighborhood church, school or community center. Ask if there is someone in your neighborhood who needs someone to check on them and give them a phone call each evening. See if there is a young family who might need someone to talk to when they have questions about their children. Work with a child to help him get his homework done or listen to him read for 30 minutes so he can become a better reader. Cut your neighbor’s grass while you are cutting yours when you know they are having trouble getting to it. Clean your closets and your garage out and donate those items to a non-profit organization. They can be distributed to people who really do need them. Get a group of friends together one Saturday to paint the elderly couple’s house on the corner. It could help them stay in it for a little while longer.
All of these things are simple and won’t take much of your time. All of them are capable of making a positive impact on someone else’s life. Seemingly small things like these can change the world and we can all do our part. Giving doesn’t always take money, just a little time.
