With more and more people being laid off, downsized or otherwise finding themselves with some time on their hands, volunteering can be a wonderful opportunity to try something new, expand your professional network and make a difference in your community. Not to mention, it looks great on a resume to show what you did during your break in employment. This past week, volunteers from all over the area gathered at Philadelphia City Hall to mark National Americorps week. The week long event was designed to honor the work of Americorp members and volunteers in the community.
As a former Americorp member, I can tell you that the work they do is tremendous. Americorps is a national organization where any adult can sign up for a term of service, generally for a year, either part time or full time. New members are placed with non profit organizations in their area according to their interests. For example, if you are interested in construction or interior design, you may find that building houses for Habitat for Humanity can be very rewarding. There are many opportunities to give back to the community, whether it is working with at risk youth, helping students to read, providing health services or assisting non-profits find volunteers, there is something for everyone. Americorps members receive a small stipend for living expenses, student loan forbearance and at the end of their term of service, they are eligible to receive the Segal AmeriCorps Education Award of up to $5,350, which can be used to pay back student loans or cover future tuition costs.
To support volunteerism, the city of Philadelphia was one of ten cities to win a two year $200,000 grant from the Rockefeller Foundations City of Service initiative. This grant will be used to help fund new programs in Philadelphia that promote education and public safety. The city hired a Chief Service Officer to help expand the number of volunteers and businesses that promote volunteerism. Giving back is becoming big business, and there is no time like the present to find a way to get involved in the community. You will find that the rewards for giving of your time and talents far outweigh the lack of salary. As a volunteer, you have the opportunity to do a job that you may not have all of the education or job experience for, and get some hands on workplace experience. In addition, you will build professional contacts and references that can be invaluable. In fact, with over ¾ of people finding employment through personal contacts, many volunteers have found themselves turning their passions into full time employment based on their work performance as a volunteer.
Even if you only have a few hours a week to give, you can still find many places to give back. Greater Philadelphia Cares is an organization that helps match up people with great volunteer site. They have over 100 volunteer opportunities, and it is most likely that they have something for every interest and age. So, why not get the whole family involved in giving back to the community? Right now, Disney is giving away free park tickets for people who give a day of service. You need to make sure that the place that you give your time to is a participating member of this promotion, but it is an amazing and rewarding way to bond as a family and earn a free Disney vacation.
So whether you are looking for a long term career in human services, or just want to keep busy while on your job search, consider volunteering. Making a difference can be life changing, not only to the people that you help but to you as well.
- Melissa Kennedy
Melissa Kennedy is a freelance writer, volunteer, mom and full time job seeker.
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