Top Five Reasons to Volunteer in Your Community

Countless organizations serve the food, shelter, health, safety, and mental well-being of every community – including ours.

In addition to financial support, many of these organizations depend upon volunteers to provide the bulk of planning and labor that smoothly deliver the services we rely on and perhaps sometimes take for granted.

Making it a habit to get involved where you can is vital. It also provides some very practical benefits in return.

Below are just a few of the great reasons to volunteer.

You Can Make a Difference

Okay, this is the one that everyone understands and thinks of when considering volunteering, but what a great reason. One of the greatest gifts of all is the gift of impact. The ability to make just one person’s life better, more manageable, or less lonely is something any contribution of your time and talent has the power to do.

You Can Learn a Great Deal

Volunteering your time in an area outside of your experience or even comfort level is a fantastic way to stretch yourself and continue to grow. Tending a plot of organic vegetables at the Nederland Food Pantry’s Community Garden, for example, is a powerful way to give and receive lessons on gardening in our super short growing season from certified experts in the field.

It’s Good for Your Health

Giving is not only good for the soul; it can also be good for the physical body. So many people sit at desks in front of computer screens. Countless volunteer opportunities include physical labor as a critical component of involvement. Go out for a day of fire mitigation work with Saws and Slaws, and you’ll learn an essential mountain skill, chainsaw operation, but you might just come home a little energized in the core from bucking logs all day.

It’s a Great Way to Get to Know Your Neighbors

Whether you’re new to the area or a long-time resident, you’ve probably seen or heard how often neighbors in the mountain communities depend upon each other for emergency help, dog walking, plowing, and things like that last egg needed for a special birthday cake. That’s just what we do up here. Joining an organization like Indian Peaks Wilderness for a Saturday of trail restoration with a group of neighbors is a great way to develop friendships and a support network for life’s little surprises.

It Sets a Great Example for the Next Generation

Anyone who has children knows they are always watching us for cues. And as we all realize, actions do speak so much louder than words. In the everyday rush of family life, volunteering as a family is a great way to interrupt the routine and provide a positive outing for the entire group. Who knows, maybe the headphones will even come off.

Below is a partial list the organizations in need of volunteers in the community.

Nederland Food Pantry, Clothing Closet and Community Gardens
https://nederlandfoodpantry.org/

Wild Bear Nature Center
http://www.wildbear.org/

TEENS, Inc.
http://teensinc.org/

Saws and Slaws
http://sawsandslaws.org/

Pastor’s Pantry at Whispering Pines Church

Ignite Adaptive Sports
https://igniteadaptivesports.org/

Indian Peaks Wilderness
https://www.indianpeakswilderness.org/volunteer-opportunities

Golden Gate Canyon State Park
https://cpwconnect.state.co.us/D/GGSP

Coal Creek Canyon Fire Department
https://www.coalcreekcanyonfd.org/

Nederland Fire Department
https://www.nfpd.org/volunteer

Timberline Fire Department
https://timberlinefpd.colorado.gov/