Do Good. Feel Good.

I believe most people want to help others and work to make the world a better place. And I like to think my contribution to this world is my volunteerism. It’s something I’ve done since I was young. I've been a Girl Scout, candy striper, and singer in our church choir.

I’ve been involved with our local animal shelter (I’m a regular foster fail) and horse rescue organization, as well as chapter leadership for an employee resource group with my former employer, and now the Chair of the Women’s Impact Network with the Huntington Regional Chamber of Commerce. I’ve also been a recipient of the President’s Volunteer Service Award three different times.

Volunteering is in my DNA.

In the US, over 1.5 million people contribute to various causes annually. And those volunteers contribute millions of hours, valued at over $100 billion annually.

Currently there are over 300 million people in the US. Imagine what could be accomplished if even a quarter of them volunteered just 1 hour per year? That’s 75 million hours!!

Volunteering isn't just good for your community - it's good for you too.

Why? Human beings are hard-wired to give to others – it activates the brain’s reward center. The more we give, the happier we feel. The happier we feel, the more we give.

A University of Minnesota study found volunteering can also reduce stress and lower depression. They also found the more hours per year a person volunteered, the less depressed they felt.

Volunteering gives you that “helper’s high” by boosting feel-good hormones like serotonin, oxytocin, and dopamine, which activates areas in the brain that contribute to your mood and overall wellbeing.

Ready to get started? Use the handy-dandy sheet below to help! Then share with me what you did and how it made you feel.

By doing just a little, we can all make a BIG impact!

Do Good. Feel Good. Handout.pdf

Download PDF • 533KB