Health & Fitness
National Volunteer Week! Thank you for volunteering.
Each year millions of adults volunteer their time to help with causes that are near and dear to their hearts. This week we take a moment to recognize these volunteers for all their hard work.
The numbers are astronomical…. And they keep on growing! In 2010, 62.8 million adults served almost 8.1 billion hours (yes that’s 8.1 BILLION hours) through organizations in 2010, with a monetary contribution of nearly $173 billion according to The Corporation for National and Community Service. Wow! I can’t wait to see the numbers for 2011!
These are the types of numbers I like to read about. Hearing of Americans giving of their time and talents for the betterment of the country. It’s ordinary people, doing extraordinary things.
We often talk about “heart health.” Things you can do to keep your heart healthy, like eating a well balanced diet, exercising, etc. I think we should add volunteering to the list of not only keeping our heart healthy, but keeping it happy! Have you ever signed up for a volunteer role and were excited about the impact that you were going to make… whether it was volunteering to tutor a student, clean up after a natural disaster, be a companion to a person on Hospice. Come to find out, that your own well-being was enhanced! That’s what I consider keeping your heart healthy and happy!
As a volunteer myself, I had this happen to me. I was volunteering as a Stephens Minister for Living Lord Lutheran Church and I felt I received so much more than I ever gave!
Tim Russert once said that there was no better exercise than reaching your hand down to help someone else. I agree!
April 15-21, 2012 is recognized as National Volunteer Week. It is the opportunity to genuinely thank those who volunteer for their giving of their time, talents and service. And for many of you, that is the time that you will be thanked for giving of your time, talents and service. As an organization that relies on volunteers for our Hospice Program, I see first-hand the impact you make in people’s lives. From the bottom of my heart I would like to thank you for your unselfish devotion to our community. You are making a difference. You are making change. And the community is a better place because of you! Thank you!
I would love to hear your stories on volunteering. Please share with me how you volunteer to keep your heart healthy!
We may grow older every year but age is only a number. Let’s live fully, laugh a-lot, and continually learn so that together we can age with grace.
Ann Byrum Ritter, RN ARitter@nursesandco.com Facebook.com/NursesandCo www.NursesandCo.com 636.926.3722