Good For You!

Do you volunteer? Good for you! You are one of the four in ten Americans who volunteered this past year.

But do you know that you are doing yourself a big favor?

Volunteering is just plain good for your health, your sense of well-being, even your job, according to a survey of more than 4,500 Americans by Volunteer Match and United-Healthcare.

How?

Consider this volunteer’s story. Mac has been volunteering in Reno with VITA, the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program. In early February, he had a thrilling success story to report. Mac said:

I had a client this week that was about to lose her place to live at the end of this month. She has a son. I prepared her return and she got a refund of over $4,000.00. When I told her that her refund would be e-filed and in the bank by the 25^th, she broke down and cried. She said I saved her and her son from being homeless.

Just reading about such a powerful story gives you a heart-warming feeling, so you can imagine what it did for Mac in the moment. It doesn’t have to be so dramatic, though, to glean the positive benefits of doing good. Studies have shown that even a small amount of volunteering, about 2 hours a week over the year, leads to significant health benefits.

The Do Good, Live Well survey results indicate that volunteers agree. 73% of the respondents felt that volunteering lowered their stress levels, and 68% felt that volunteering made them feel physically healthier. Better yet, 92% agreed that volunteering enriched their sense of purpose in life.

It is pretty simple. When you do good, you do yourself good as well.