Do Good, Feel Good

This week, Do Good, Feel Good was included in a list of blogs about volunteering on the Wall Street Journal's Blog Watch. Very exciting! The two other blogs included on the list were The Jayne Blog, by Jayne Cravens, and A.Fine Blog by Allison Fine.

Jayne has been writing about volunteerism for years, and was one of the first online volunteering experts. Allison is the author of the book, Momentum: Igniting Social Change in the Connected Age, and is the co-creator of The Give List, a list of ways that individuals can give back to their communities, or give to someone else, instead of buying presents. 

Continue reading "What Blogs and Sites About Volunteering Do You Recommend?" »

My parents have always been community-minded, which I think has influenced a lot of the choices I've made, and work I've done as an adult.  One memory I have is of going with my dad to visit with folks at a local convalescent home on Sundays after church.  Another memory is of gathering pledges for, and walking in a CROP Hunger Walk that he organized.

Volunteering as a family is being celebrated and encouraged this Saturday, November 21st on Family Volunteer Day, presented by HandsOn Network and The Walt Disney Company:

Continue reading "November 21st is Family Volunteer Day" »

Raise your hand if you were a Girl Scout!

Each month, WE Volunteer chooses an organization to highlight as its Charity of the Month. November's Charity of the Month is Girl Scouts of the USA, and guess what?  They are looking for volunteers.

 They have five ways that you can work directly with girls:

Continue reading "Girl Scouts of the USA: WE Volunteer Charity of the Month" »

By Britt Bravo

According to the ServiceNation blog, November 11th, Veteran's Day, "ServiceNation, with the help of First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden, will unveil 'Mission Serve: Forging A Continuum Of Service,' a new initiative to unite the worlds of military and civilian service, tapping the energy, wisdom and experience of the millions of citizens--in uniform and out--who are dedicated to strengthening America."

Continue reading "Mission Serve Launches on Veteran's Day + Veteran Volunteer Opportunities" »

Tomorrow I'm volunteering at a public elementary school in my neighborhood. I started volunteering with this "reading partners" program last spring, and started up again last week. Each week I read for half an hour with a third grade student, and then for half an hour with a second grade student. I just love it.

If you're interested in volunteering in a school in your community, here are a few tips:

1. To find a volunteer opportunity at a school near you, search on WE Volunteer, contact a school directly, check with the PTA, or see if your school district has a volunteer program.

Continue reading "5 Tips for Volunteering in Schools" »

Did you know that if you register on WE Volunteer for a volunteer experience, you will have the opportunity to receive special discounts and offers from LUSH Fresh Handmade Cosmetics, Ladies Home Journal, Essence Magazine, and Step Up Women's Network?

Yup, after you've registered for a volunteer experience, an email will be sent with directions for redeeming your reward!

Continue reading "Discounts on LUSH Cosmetics, Ladies Home Journal, Essence Magazine and Step Up Women's Network for WE Volunteers!" »

Earlier this month, the YouTube Video Volunteers program asked people to create Puppy and Kitty Videos for Good on behalf of their favorite animal welfare organization.

According to the CitizenTube post, Today, Animals Take Center Stage on the Homepage, over 100 users submitted videos. The YouTube community voted for their favorites, and the top three were featured on the YouTube home page earlier this week.

Next month, video volunteers will be asked to create videos focused on hunger in America. Keep your eye on the YouTube Video Volunteers Channel, Citizentube blog, and @citizentube on Twitter for more information about next month's topic.

You can watch this month's winners below:

Continue reading "Love Making Videos? Become a YouTube Video Volunteer" »

Ocean Beach Oil Spill Clean-up uploaded by tomnono According to a 2007 report by the Corporation for National and Community Service, The Health Benefits of Volunteering: A Review of Recent Research, "volunteers have greater longevity, higher functional ability, lower rates of depression and less incidence of heart disease." They found that volunteering is particularly beneficial for older adults who volunteer 100 hours each year.

In a January 2009 post, Volunteering for Your Health, Dr Sanjay Gupta wrote on the CNN blog, Consumer Tips, that,

Continue reading "Is Volunteering Good for Your Health?" »

One month after she was married, Cami Walker was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.  She struggled with extreme pain, an inability to walk, loss of sight in one eye, an overwhelming stack of medical bills, and depression.  When an African medicine woman, Mbali Creazzo, gave her a "prescription," to give away 29 things in 29 days, Cami ignored it at first, but once she started, she couldn't stop, and the result transformed her life.

Half way through the 29 days, Cami was able to walk again, clients were calling her for work, her relationships improved, and she felt more optimistic about her life.  She asked some friends to join her in the 29 Day Giving Challenge and put up a website at www.29gifts.org for everyone to share their stories. Now, the site has over 5,000 members.

Cami has captured her story in the inspiring new memoir, 29 Gifts: How a Month of Giving Can Change Your Life.  It's a moving book that captures the power of giving, and will inspire you to try the Challenge.  You can watch Cami talk about her experience in the YouTube video below, and on The TODAY Show Monday, October 26th.

Continue reading "29 Gifts: How a Month of Giving Can Change Your Life" »

If you're reading this post, you're probably a giver, someone who your friends and family can depend on, someone who always puts yourself before others. Caring for others is a wonderful quality, but don't forget to give to yourself, as well as to others.   You have to fill your well with water before you can offer another person a drink.

Before you say "yes" to giving today, check in and see if you are making time to do these things for yourself:

Continue reading "Filling the Well: Giving to Yourself" »