Charity begins at home! That’s why giving something back to your community is a total win-win situation. The kids on the little league team you coach; the people in the shelters or nursing home you visit; the groundskeepers you help clean up empty lots so that grass can be planted and playground equipment can be put in; the poor who come to the coup kitchen at which you work; and the child you tutor at the after school program all gain from what you give. You too, gain from your giving. Your community service experience gives you that wonderful feeling of being needed. It also gives you a better understanding of all kinds of people, and the chance to develop good speaking and listening abilities. This is what your teachers call communication skills.

Community service is a great work experience. It can prepare you for many jobs and careers you would not have even known about without volunteering to help. As a volunteer in your community you may be asked to take on jobs in which you gain leadership experience, or the kind of experience that gives you practice in thinking creatively, acting quickly, and solving problems. Some people in life will tell you that succeeding in life depends on whom you know, now what you know. Actually, you’re more likely to be successful if you have both the who and the what. Community service helps you make connections with people who later are able to give you advice, support or even the job you want.

It has been often said: “It’s better to give than to receive”. By doing community service, you’re not only a giver, but you are a receiver, too.