Deborah Race

Last week I had the privilege of watching the Women’s Fund of Smith County Grants Committee in action. This was the meeting where the committee spends an entire day discussing all the grants being sought by various agencies in Smith County for this grant cycle and voting on whether they meet WFSC criteria and can go to membership for a vote.

Hospice of East Texas was gracious enough to allow the committee to use its beautiful board room for this meeting. While I was there, I ran into someone with whom I had served on the Hospice Board years ago. I commented that I did not know she was still volunteering there and she said that she has volunteered at Hospice for years and loves it. That got me thinking about volunteering in general and specifically, the value in volunteering.

While observing the grants committee, I thought how lucky WFSC is to have so many talented, dedicated women willing to volunteer their time and knowledge to serve on this committee. The grants committee takes a significant commitment and each of these women has stepped up and volunteered. The committee is made up of women with every conceivable skill set – each one bringing a valuable and different perspective to her review. There are accountants, social workers, judges, bankers and many others who give their time and talents to ensure that only qualified applicants advance to be voted upon by the membership.

Volunteers make so many charitable organizations work and are critical to their success. By giving their time, these wonderful volunteers save the agency money and in volunteering are themselves able to give back and reap their own rewards. And the volunteer opportunities in Smith County are wide ranging. From people with medical expertise to someone with a love of animals, there are places you can donate your passions, time and talents.

In looking at some statistics online, approximately 25% of the adult population volunteers in some capacity. Not only do most organizations offer specific volunteer opportunities, service on their boards provides additional volunteer opportunities.

And you do not just benefit the agency for whom you volunteer by giving your time and talents, you personally benefit from volunteering. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) reports that volunteering has the following mental health benefits:

• Reducing stress

• Increasing happiness

• Developing confidence

• Finding purpose

In addition to these benefits, I found other articles online that address boosts to your physical and social well-being as well. For example, your volunteer work can help you gain new experience, skills and connections that can help with your career or employment. You also will make new friends and gain a sense of community.

Teenagers benefit from volunteering as well. They can earn community service hours for high school. Additionally, both TJC and The University of Texas at Tyler offer programs where students can earn service hours and also become eligible for certain awards and/or scholarships through volunteering.

If you have an opportunity to sit in on a GIVE (Girls Invested in Volunteer Efforts) meeting, you will see the bonding and growth these young women experience through volunteering. If you are not familiar with GIVE, it is the program WFSC has for girls grades 9 – 12 in which they experience the joy of collective giving and grant making much like the WFSC members do. These girls select agencies to review and then they discuss reasons they believe the agency is deserving of a grant. They also hear from the agencies and vote on the one to whom to award a grant. Last year GIVE awarded $12,000 to the Gold Network, an organization with which a GIVE member had personal experience. If you know someone interested, the GIVE kick-off meeting is Sunday September 17th – you can call the WFSC for more information.

The best way to get involved may be to just ask your friends about their experiences or recommendations. Or find an organization that addresses an interest you have and just call and find out the volunteer opportunities. The United Way also offers information on various volunteer opportunities in Smith County.

Volunteering is a Win-Win! The agency where you choose to volunteer benefits from your time and talents. And you benefit too! So, now that fall is on the way, maybe it’s a good time to explore your volunteer opportunities and make it happen. You won’t regret it.