1) Build your resume! Volunteerism is something that employers LOVE!
2) Make new friends! Expand your network! The best way to find a job these days is through your network.
3) Improve your social skills! Volunteerism will give you opportunities to practice communication skills, and could even develop your public speaking skills.
4) Stay active, stay healthy! Your mental, emotional, and physical health will benefit from the extra time you are spending with others outside of your home.
These are just a few ways that volunteering will benefit you. The United Way also has a short list of benefits if you're curious.
BELOW ARE JUST A FEW OF THE PLACES THAT COULD USE YOUR VOLUNTEER TIME:
- Rescue Ranches (Zuma's Rescue Ranch, Creative Acres, Friends of Horses, etc.): horse/animal rescue
- Children's Hospital, and other hospitals, such as Denver Health: serve in a variety of ways
- Denver Rescue Mission: prepare and serve meals; special guest presentations before dinner
- Habitat for Humanity: build homes for families in need; construction, landscaping, painting, etc.
- Snow Buddies: remove snow from sidewalks/driveways/porches/steps outside elderly owned homes
- Judi’s House: serve in a variety of ways, and work with youth that have experienced the loss of a loved one
- Ronald McDonald House: serve families that are experiencing a battle with terminal illness, including cleaning, event prep, arts/crafts time, etc.
- Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado (VOC): build/rebuild trails, restore wild habitat, etc.
- Animal Shelters (Maxfund, Dumb Friends League, Foothills Animal Shelter in Golden, Humane Society, etc.): feed, walk, play with, and clean-up after domestic pets
- Athletic Organizations (Boys & Girls Club, Denver Recreation Centers, Special Olympics Colorado, YMCA Facilities and Camps)
- Denver Zoo: weekly obligation throughout the summer season, preparing food for animals, cleaning enclosures, educating the public
- Urban Gardens (DUG, Urbiculture, etc.): plant, water, and keep vegetable gardens; harvest and prepare vegetables for sale; sell produce to local communities and neighborhoods
- Bike Depot: learn bicycle repair, assemble bikes for children in need
- Extreme Community Makeover: projects include graffiti removal, landscaping, painting, yard work, or other projects identified by the residents
- Tutoring (American Youth Literacy Foundation, Reading Partners, etc.): your time and passion can help a child strengthen their reading skills, build confidence, and discover a passion for reading
- AND MORE!!!
