“Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.” - Muhammad Ali
I went to a wonderful play on Saturday night by Between Shifts Theatre. It was funny, entertaining, emotional and thought-provoking — everything art should be.
On Monday night I dropped by an RCMP volunteer appreciation event; this Saturday I will enjoy the Dancing Bear Music Festival organized by Quest University students; and at 8 a.m. on Friday, April 20 at the Squamish Adventure Centre, I will host a breakfast in partnership with Squamish Non-Profit Network in honour of National Volunteer Week and the amazing volunteers that make our community so wonderful.
Volunteerism is all around us and comes in many forms. It can be organized, like when someone lends their time and expertise to the governance of a non-profit or charity, coaches youth sports, sings in a choir or performs in a play. Volunteers provide education and advocacy like the Squamish River Watershed and Environmental Societies, Eagle Watch, Squamish Forestry Society, the Women’s Centre and Squamish Climate Action Network to name a few. Volunteers make meals at Helping Hands, provide support to refugee families, put out fires, search and rescue on land and at sea, and bring history to life at the Railway Park and Mining Museum.
But it can also be informal like when you shovel your elderly neighbour’s snow from their driveway, or drop off a meal for someone going through a tough time, or pick up your neighbours’ kids from school because they are running late. It is the bedrock of civil society and civic engagement. Volunteerism strengthens trust, empathy, and reciprocity among citizens by creating opportunities for participation and inclusion.
We all know that volunteerism is foundational to a community; this perhaps goes without saying. And much has been written about the professional and networking benefits. But did you also know it is beneficial to an individual’s physical and psychological health? And there is science to prove it.
From Harvard to Carnegie Mellon Universities to the London School of Economics, researchers are proving that volunteerism is associated with better mental, physical and occupational health. On average, people who volunteer experience measurable physical, social and cognitive improvements.
Volunteerism can lower your blood pressure, give you greater feelings of connectedness, and yes, people who volunteer live longer, happier lives. And volunteerism founded in altruism has the greatest net benefit to all of the above.
Thank you to all of our volunteers, organized and informal. Your contribution to the community is immeasurable and so valuable. May you continue to have a greater sense of purpose in life and keep up the great work!
