What are the benefits of Volunteering?
Volunteering is being able to give some time to help out communities or businesses with no financial reward. While helping out a community that you are interested in is rewarding in itself there are a number of other benefits to volunteering and some of them are quite unexpected.
Resume
Probably the most commonly talked about benefit of volunteering is you can use the experience gained on your resume and it sends a good message to future employers about your commitment to the community and also to learn new skills.
Meet new people
It can be quite difficult to meet new people as an adult and volunteering provides the opportunity to meet new people with similar interests to you.
Giving Back
There are so many different opportunities to volunteer, so you really have the chance to give back to a community that you are passionate about. Whether it be, working with animals, spending more time outside, teaching people new skills – there are many opportunities available.
Mental Health
Volunteering is linked to better mental health. The social contact and the sense of purpose involved in volunteering has a profound effect on your psychological wellbeing and can help with the effects of anger, anxiety and stress.
Physical Health
A study from Carnegie Mellon University showed that those who volunteered regularly and were aged over 50 had lower blood pressure than those who did not. Volunteering not only increased volunteers activity but also gave a new sense of purpose, which lowered stress levels.
The lowered feelings of loneliness and decreased stress levels, are believed to be the reason that those who volunteered have a longer life expectancy than those who don’t.
Each day, St Lucy’s relies on a number of volunteers to help us deliver our leading education to children with disabilities. From helping out in the classroom by reading, helping at our working bees, we welcome you at St Lucy’s as part of our amazing community. We have 2 types of volunteering available, ongoing and corporate volunteering, please visit our volunteering page if you would like more information or to apply to be a volunteer and take advantage of the above benefits.