One of the best ways to make an impact in your community is through volunteering your time. Some of my most memorable hours that I have spent have been when I was surrounded by those who were less fortunate in health than me. Spending time with elderly patients who held mental health issues helped me learn how to be patient and caring. Most importantly I helped develop a bond with the idea of how people should truly be treated when elderly, which is with true respect. If you believe in the statement, “treat others the way you would like to be treated”, then living it out in real life is the first step to making a difference in your community.

By volunteering you can steer yourself into the direction of giving. By giving back it does your community a favor and affects the world around you with global effect. Also often times you will find more satisfaction when giving your time away for free to others than receiving pay because you feel a different level of appreciation. By helping others you start to develop a new love for life and learn what being unselfish is.

The time that you spend with the youth helps nurture tomorrows seeds. It’s always critical to always teach and lead the youth in the right direction. I have always enjoyed spending time with my nieces and nephew knowing that it is critical to feed them with wisdom in this crooked world.

Some ideas I have for making a difference among the young and the old…

1. Look Into Volunteer Locations Near You
2. Discover Your Particular Area of Interest That You Enjoy
3. Find Others Who’d be Interested to Join Your Effort
4. Get to Know People and Meet Them

If you don’t know where to start, you can look into nursing homes, assisted living facilities, homeless shelters, or soup kitchens just to name a few places. The sooner you go out into your community and meet a broad spectrum of people from all aspects of life, the more you’ll appreciate the art of helping people out. Many people often don’t realize how lucky they are to have what they have. When you go out in the world you begin to see people who are less fortunate than you and everyone could use a helping hand sometimes.

Through some of my experience in an Assisted Living Facility I gained a lot of wisdom from war veterans, farmers, and business men who helped out the U.S. during their prime years. By developing the heart to help others, you will go far in emotional and spiritual wealth. The results of volunteering can affect the build up of a facility which can in effect build up a community. By aiming to make a positive difference in the lives of others you aim for the development of a better tomorrow. Strengthening your community starts through strengthening yourself.