Five Ways to Give Back to Your Community

Wanting to change the world is a noble cause, but trying to figure out how to do just that can be overwhelming. A good place to start is your own community. Here are five simple ways that you can:

Tutor: Overextended teachers (and school budgets) unfortunately means that some kids will fall through the cracks and not receive the individual attention they need. Volunteering as a tutor will give kids a much better chance of succeeding in school.

Mentor a Youth: Unfortunately, not every youth has a positive adult role model in their life. By volunteering to serve as a mentor, you can have a huge impact on a child or teen’s performance in school, self-confidence and self-esteem, and decision-making, particularly when it comes to potential interactions with the juvenile justice system.

Coach: Youth sports leagues are always in need of coaches. And best of all, you can stay in shape while teaching kids the importance of teamwork and persistence, lessons that will serve them well in the future.

Community Cleanup: A common but still necessary suggestion—people are slobs. Make that park or beach experience the best it could be for both yourself and others by organizing a cleanup day. Best of all, you can see results pretty quickly, so volunteers will leave feeling good that they accomplished something.

Help Out a Senior: Not everyone in a nursing home receives regular visitors, so stopping in for even a short chat will surely brighten some days. Another way to get involved is to help elderly neighbors by running errands, cleaning their yard, or any other task that no longer comes easy to them.