VOLUNTEER & GET HEALTHY

[Carlos Tramontana]

I almost never pass on or forward on emails.  I could not ignore this one that I received from a fellow parrothead (yes, a Jimmy Buffett fan for those that dont comprende).  I dont know where they got it from, but I didnt matter.  I felt I had to pass this on as I feel strongly about volunteering.  Now it's even healthy for you.  I hope that it inspires you to get out there, perhaps even involve your friend, spouse, child or grandchild.

I borrowed this from my parrothead club "A small group of thoughtful people could change the world.  Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has. "
Margaret Mead

Carlos

VOLUNTEER & GET HEALTHY !!

 

A young girl was walking on the beach one day when she noticed thousands of starfish were washed up during a storm. She tried to save the starfish by picking them up, one at a time and tossing it into the ocean. When someone told her she couldn't save all those starfish, she replied, "Well, I made a difference to that one!" Soon she inspired others to join and together they made a difference.

 

Perhaps the first and biggest benefit people get from volunteering is the satisfaction of incorporating service into their lives and making a difference in their community and country. The intangible benefits alone—such as pride, satisfaction and accomplishment— are worthwhile reasons to serve. In addition, when we share our time and talents, we:

• Solve problems
• Strengthen communities
• Improve lives
• Connect to others
• Transform our own lives

Over the past two decades we have also seen a growing body of research that indicates volunteering provides individual health benefits in addition to social benefits. This research, which is presented in a report titled “The Health Benefits of Volunteering: A Review of Recent Research,” has established a strong relationship between volunteering and health: those who volunteer have lower mortality rates, greater functional ability, and lower rates of depression later in life than those who do not volunteer. Comparisons of the health benefits of volunteering for different age groups have also shown that older volunteers are the most likely to receive greater benefits from volunteering, whether because they are more likely to face higher incidence of illness or because volunteering provides them with physical and social activity and a sense of purpose at a time when their social roles are changing. Some of these findings also indicate that volunteers who devote a “considerable” amount of time to volunteer activities (about 100 hours per year) are most likely to exhibit positive health outcomes.

[Deno Brandon]

VERY cool! Thanks for sharing, Carlos.
~~~/\~~DENO!

> * Solve problems
> * Strengthen communities
> * Improve lives
> * Connect to others
> * Transform our own lives

> Over the past two decades we have also seen a
> growing body of research that indicates volunteering
> provides individual health benefits in addition to
> social benefits. This research, which is presented
> in a report titled “The Health Benefits of
> Volunteering: A Review of Recent Research,” has
> established a strong relationship between
> volunteering and health: those who volunteer have
> lower mortality rates, greater functional ability,
> and lower rates of depression later in life than
> those who do not volunteer. Comparisons of the
> health benefits of volunteering for different age
> groups have also shown that older volunteers are the
> most likely to receive greater benefits from
> volunteering, whether because they are more likely
> to face higher incidence of illness or because
> volunteering provides them with physical and social
> activity and a sense of purpose at a time when their
> social roles are changing. Some of these findings
> also indicate that volunteers
> who devote a “considerable” amount of time to
> volunteer activities (about 100 hours per year) are

> most likely to exhibit positive health outcomes..
>
>
>
>
>
>