Many older adults look forward to retirement as a time when they will finally have the opportunity to do all the things they couldn’t quite seem to fit in while they were working and raising families – things like traveling, reading, cultivating long-neglected hobbies, or volunteering.
Now that you’re retired and don’t have the same demands of family and career filling your day, you may find yourself asking what you’re supposed to do with all your time.
If you feel this way, you’re not alone. Many retirees experience the empty nest syndrome and/or a perceived loss of meaningful employment.
Instead of Looking for Help, Become the Help
Provided you pick the right charity and appropriate role for yourself, volunteering can prove to be a rewarding and fulfilling activity to help fill your days in your retirement years. Becoming a volunteer can prove an effective way to bring your life new meaning and assist you in reestablishing a sense of identity.
Most retirees admit that volunteering has provided them with benefits such as physical and emotional well-being, as well as pride in what effect they have on their community’s overall health becomes.
Here are some ways that you can use to find current opportunities. You can also call an organization you know in your community, such as the service clubs – Rotary, Lions – otherwise contact your local volunteer centre, look for opportunities advertised in your community newspaper or Facebook group, or check out the following websites:
Consider the “Off-Seasons”
Here’s a hint. As you search for volunteer roles, keep in mind that most organizations need the most help in early spring and summer, and are more likely to have the resources to train new volunteers during those times, as compared to, for example, the holiday season – Thanksgiving and Christmas. These are times when charities are often inundated with more volunteers than they can use.
In the End, It’s About Your Community
If you’re looking for a way to not only improve your own well-being, but also the health of your community, volunteering really is the answer for many retirees.
It has been shown that by helping to reduce government spending and increasing economic output, the role of a volunteer can make a significant impact on the local, and even federal economy.
Closer to home and more tangibly, when you volunteer, you help make your own neighbourhood a better and more cohesive place to live. Why? Because volunteers do, in effect, contribute to a more concerned and involved citizen base. Volunteers can also help support local educational institutions and improve the environment for those living in their local community.