Volunteers Do It Better

"Volunteering" is one of those concepts we hear about, but maybe don't really understand. Why do people give up their own time (and sometimes money) to volunteer to do someone else's work? Are volunteers more altruistic? Do they feel compelled to volunteer?

Turns out, volunteering is good for you. It gives many people a sense of purpose. If you're going to volunteer your time and expertise, it's natural that you want to do it for activities you are passionate about, and that you feel will make a difference in your community and for society as a whole. And of course, people volunteer is to be around other people, usually those who share a passion.

A Psychology Today article notes five benefits to volunteering- and the first reason alone should make you sit up and take notice: Volunteers live longer and are healthier. PT says that, especially with older people - that would be us - volunteering does more for your overall heath that exercising and eating well. They state, in no uncertain terms, that "older people who volunteer remain physically functional longer, have more robust psychological well-being, and live longer." 

About half of all Canadians volunteer for various causes. You could donate anything from an hour or two a week, to many more hours (older volunteers tend to donate more of their time than other age groups). Volunteering can range from working for music festivals to sitting on a board, from walking dogs at the Humane Society or SPCA to counselling and mentoring new Canadians, from working in a food bank to delivering meals. Hospitals need volunteers, as do libraries.

It’s easy enough to start the process; Google something like “volunteer Ottawa” (or Toronto, or Regina etc) and possibilities will crop up. For pointers, ask friends where they volunteer for pointers. Start here, with the Volunteer Canada site. It’s a busy site promoting itself as the "national voice for volunteerism in Canada". It’s not the easiest to navigate, and you might have to click through a couple of links to hit your city, but it’s a good start to finding volunteer possibilities for you. For instance, here’s a map of Ontario cities that have volunteer possibilities.

Tom New