When you volunteer, you have the opportunity to learn useful skills, make new friends, and you just might find that you feel happier and maybe even healthier.
Why should you volunteer?
Every non-profit organization will tell you that when you volunteer, you are offering help that is crucial to those in need and the community overall. But did you know that the benefits of volunteering can be even greater for the volunteers themselves? We all lead busy lives, but finding the time for volunteer work can reduce stress levels and provide a great sense of purpose. Helping others has been shown to help people physically and mentally. Volunteering doesn’t need to require a huge amount of time out of your busy week. At Dial-A-Bus, our volunteers help us out anywhere from two days a month to four days a week!
The benefits of volunteering with Dial-A-Bus: Five ways your life can improve 1. Free courses/certifications and the benefits that come with them 2. Feel great about helping your most vulnerable friends and neighbors 3. Make connections and meet new people of all backgrounds 4. Boost your mental health 5. Use new skills to advance your career
Benefit 1: Free courses/certifications
As a volunteer driver for Dial-A-Bus, you will receive free CPR certification. CPR is a very valuable skill that can be put on a resume or even save someone’s life some day. Of course, that’s not the only free course that we offer. All of our volunteers are also offered the option to take a defensive driver training course. After completing this course, submit the information to your insurance agent, and you will likely receive a discount. So, by volunteering with Dial-A-Bus, you could save money and learn how to save a life in an emergency.
Don’t worry about your insurance rates going up as a volunteer driver either, when you drive with Dial-A-Bus, it is always under our insurance.
Benefit 2: Help those in need in your community
Making your community a better place for those in need makes it a better community for everyone, yourself included. Volunteering is one of the best ways to make an impact on your community. Helping out with seemingly small tasks, like giving someone a ride to the library, makes a real difference in people’s lives. When you volunteer as a driver with Dial-A-Bus, you’ll be helping folks get to their doctor appointments, delivering much needed food and supplies, helping other people in the community stay connected and engaged, and so much more.
At the end of each driving shift with Dial-A-Bus, you’ll be able to say, “Wow, I made a difference today.”
Benefit 3: Make lifelong connections
Not only does volunteering allow you to connect to the community on a deeper level, but it also allows you to meet people, make new friends, and possibly even improve your social skills.
Volunteering in a way that is important to you will connect you with other like-minded people in the community. This can be especially helpful to people who are new to the area. Not only will you find new places to go while driving clients with Dial-A-Bus, but you might just find people to go with. The employees and volunteers of Dial-A-Bus are extremely welcoming and always happy to meet new people. You might even find that you become close with some of the regular clientele.
Dial-A-Bus is a great place to practice your social skills. When you volunteer as a driver, you will be transporting clients around town. This activity provides the perfect opportunity to practice introductions, small talk, and even forming more meaningful connections through conversation.
Benefit 4: Mental Health
Studies have shown that volunteering can have a wonderful impact on mental and physical health. Although volunteering might seem counterintuitive when you lead a busy life, it can help reduce anxiety, anger, and the effects of stress.
Helping others makes a huge impact on your psychological well-being. Research has shown that the pleasure centers of the brain are activated when being helpful. It seems that people are actually meant to give to others.
Many people struggle with finding a sense of purpose in life. If you don’t feel it in your career or are retired, you could find it through volunteering. Being a volunteer driver for Dial-A-Bus may seem like a simple thing, but to some people, our drivers are the only connection they have to the world outside of their homes.
You might wonder what volunteering as a driver could possibly do for physical health. Well, people who volunteer have a lower mortality rate than those who don’t. With less effects of stress, people are less likely to develop high blood pressure and heart disease.
Benefit 5: Advance your career
Dial-A-Bus might not directly give you experience in your specified field, but it can give you the opportunity to practice important skills that are used in all workplace environments. A few examples are communication, problem solving, organization, and time management. When you practice these skills as a driver for Dial-A-Bus, you may find that you gain confidence in all aspects of your life, including your career.
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