Why Do We Volunteer?

During his 2002 State of the Union address, President George W. Bush called upon every American to contribute 4000 hours (2 years) of their lives to volunteer service. He called upon every American because, "Everyone can do something". WOW/ALA has been engaged in and promoting volunteer service for over 114 years now; we know the benefits of volunteerism and we're glad that others are beginning to get involved too!

We believe that volunteerism is a fundamental piece of making lives better, of improving our communities and enriching our own lives as well as others. While most of us are familiar with some of the most common reasons for volunteering, such as making a difference and helping others, there are many additional reasons and motivations such as:

• Learning a new skill and gaining experience in a particular skill
• Spending quality time with your family
• Teaching your children strong, positive values
• Meeting new people
• Changing someone's life
• Exploring new career options or networking opportunities

We could never list all of the reasons to volunteer- we all have our own reasons and we all have different skills and abilities to contribute. We hope that you'll use the information we've provided in this section to explore your own goals in volunteering and find an opportunity that matches your needs.