Join the Spirals team of volunteers to make a difference in your community. Spirals, a unique consignment and benefit shop located in Pacific Grove, helps to support the programs of the Alliance on Aging.
The Alliance on Aging was established in 1970 by a group of concerned local citizens who wanted to help seniors remain safely in their own homes for as long as possible. This volunteer driven organization which began as a single program with a handful of volunteers is now a multi-purpose senior service agency with over 200 volunteers. The largest non-profit provider of senior services in Monterey County, the Alliance on Aging serves over 7,000 individuals every year.
Alliance on Aging programs include Medicare Counseling & Education (HICAP) , Senior Peer Counseling, Nursing Home Information & Advocacy, Tax Counseling for the Elderly, Benefits Checkup and a monthly Senior Outreach Luncheon in Salinas. Alliance on Aging staff and volunteers provide direct services, information and education to seniors, adult children, caregivers and “baby boomers” who are approaching and preparing for their senior years.
Volunteering builds self-confidence and self-esteem
Doing good for others and the community helps to create a natural sense of accomplishment. And working as a volunteer can also give you a sense of pride and identity, helping to boost your self-confidence further by taking you out of your natural comfort zone and environment
Volunteering is important for physical health...
Interestingly, volunteering has distinct health benefits that can boost your mental and – perhaps more surprisingly – physical health. Indeed, a growing body of evidence suggests that people who give their time to others might benefit from lower blood pressure and a longer lifespan.
...and mental health
When it comes to volunteering being important for mental health, the benefits are clear. It can help counteract the effects of stress, depression and anxiety. Indeed, the social contact aspect of helping others can have a profound effect on your overall psychological well-being.
Volunteering is important for a sense of purpose
Because volunteering means choosing to work without receiving monetary compensation, people often choose to give their time to issues or organizations they feel are important or have a special connection to.
Volunteering helps you forget your own problems
One other benefit of volunteering is that focusing on others can give us a deeper sense of perspective and help distract us from negative thoughts and help stop rumination. Volunteering often involves helping those in need and can be useful in showing us that, in fact, our own lives are not as bad as we thought they were.
Volunteering is important for your career
In an increasingly competitive job market, volunteering experience can be incredibly useful. It shows potential employers that you can take initiative and that you’re willing to give your own time to improve the world for other people.
Furthermore, volunteering gives you the opportunity to practice important common skills used in the workplace, such as communication, teamwork, problem solving, planning and organization. Indeed, if you haven’t had a full-time job before then volunteering is an essential way to prove your skills when you do go for work interviews.
Conclusions: the importance of volunteering
It's clear the benefits of volunteering are huge – improved physical and mental health, new friends and avoiding loneliness, a sense of purpose and deeper self-confidence. In turn, all of these things will help to boost your overall happiness: a win-win situation for all involved.
Inspirational Quotes about volunteering
“As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands — one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.” — Audrey Hepburn
“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” – Gandhi
“Volunteering is at the very core of being a human. No one has made it through life without someone else’s help.” – Heather French Henry
“Volunteerism is the voice of the people put into action. These actions shape and mold the present into a future of which we can all be proud.” – Helen Dyer
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead
“We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.” – Winston Churchill
“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” – Helen Keller
“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.” – Leo Buscaglia
“Everybody can be great. Because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You don’t have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, what are you doing for others?” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
“Volunteers do not necessarily have the time; they have the heart.” – Elizabeth Andrew
“We cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men.” – Herman Melville
“Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.” – Muhammad Ali
“I urge young people to consider public service, whether they do it now by volunteering in their community or prepare for public service as an adult.” – John Walters
“Volunteering is an act of heroism on a grand scale. And it matters profoundly. It does more than help people beat the odds; it changes the odds.” – William J. Clinton
“Every person can make a difference, and every person should try.” – John F. Kennedy
“The quality of your life will be determined by the quality of your contribution. When you work to improve the lives of others, your life improves automatically.” – Kurek Ashley
“Volunteers don’t get paid, not because they’re worthless, but because they’re priceless.” – Sherry Anderson
“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” – Arthur Ashe
“Only by giving are you able to receive more than you already have.” – Jim Rohn
“You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.” – Kahlil Gibran
“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” – Dr. Seuss
“Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.” – Steve Jobs
“There is no better exercise for your heart than reaching down and helping to lift someone up.” – Bernard Meltzer
“When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around.” – Willie Nelson