Volunteer

Resources - More Than Just Volunteering

Many volunteers begin their volunteering career path by engaging in ad hoc service, like participating in once-off events or like many students these days, they have become acquainted with volunteering through their Community Involvement Programme (CIP) requirements.

It is encouraging that although many individuals stop volunteering at this point, many others look for further opportunities to volunteer their expertise and service.

However, there are yet a majority of us who have stopped volunteering, either for one reason or another. Some become jaded with the plight of the less privileged; while some have immersed themselves in work; and many more are unaware of the significance they can play in the lives of the beneficiaries.

The message today is, don’t give up in doing something good for others. Don’t give up in volunteering. No matter your background or past, or what you are going through, we believe that there is something each one of us can offer to others out there, in our own unique ways.

As the saying goes, it is more blessed to give than to receive. You will see how real this statement is when you start volunteering and keep at it. No doubt many of us do not expect anything in return when we volunteer, yet acknowledging the smile on the beneficiaries’ face at the end of the day, makes one realize that you had, in your own way, done something today to make someone else’s life a little better – in your own special way.

In addition, as a volunteer, you will find that being able to contribute back to the community that you love, gives you a sense of fulfillment, and that even through this contribution, you will discover more about your own strengths and weaknesses and learn about others around you. Besides these social awareness and skills, you will at the same time develop and hone your leadership & management skills as you take charge and organize activities with other volunteers.

And in the end, you realize that ultimately, the person who receives the most is you – the volunteer.
So come, “let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” – Galatians 6:9