Volunteer Vacations on NPR

Volunteering is a great way to give back around the holidays, but those of us who take our two weeks' paid vacation around this time often don't get the chance. Because of this, more and more people are taking their vacations and turning them into opportunities for service.

Just yesterday, NPR's Weekend Edition sat down with Shannon O'Donnell, the founder of the website GrassrootsVolunteering.org. This website acts as a resource for those who wish to travel ethically throughout the world, whether by volunteering for local organizations or by supporting small businesses. In this interview, O'Donnell points out some common mistakes that people make when looking to make a difference in communities they are visiting. You can read the transcript or listen to the interview by following the link above.

Met Council offers many volunteer opportunities for groups and individuals of all ages. If you are looking to plan a volunteering vacation in New York City, get involved with us! Met Council is one of New York's largest social services agencies, serving over 100,000 people each year.

December 2013 Volunteer of the Month - Ginghamsburg Church Youth Ministry

Congratulations to Ginghamsburg Church Youth Ministry, our Volunteer of the Month for December 2013!

This group of enthusiastic teens from Tipp City, Ohio brought their energy to several of our projects earlier this month during an annual service trip to NYC. They travel regularly to several locations every year to participate in community service projects in the U.S. and abroad.

The teens split into smaller groups between several activities on Thursday, December 5th: canvassing in the Bronx to inform people about public benefits; canvassing in the Rockaways with information about disaster case management; and joining seniors at our residence in Sea Gate, Brooklyn to celebrate Hanukkah with coffee, jelly doughnuts, dreidels, and conversation. All told, they disseminated nearly a thousand fliers and entertained over a dozen clients at our residence for low-income seniors. Each of these communities was impacted by the group's invaluable help.

Thank you all once again for your help and great work!

November 2013 Volunteer of the Month- Our 40 for 40 Partners!

This month, we couldn't choose just one person to recognize so for our November 2013 Volunteer of the Month post- so we would like to congratulate and thank all of our 40 for 40 partners! 

1. Baruch Hillel
2. B'nai B'rith Young Leadership Network
3. B'nai Jeshurun
4. Bronx Science High School Key Club
5. buildOn- Bronx
6. Columbia Hillel
7. Congregation Habonim
8. Congregation Magen David
9. Congregation Ramath Orah
10. Congregation Rodeph Sholom
11. HASC Center
12. Hebrew Union College
13. Investors Bank
14. JBFCS Friends
15. JBFCS Kaplan House
16. JCCA Bukharian Teen Lounge
17. Jewish Home Lifecare
18. Kehilath Jeshurun
19. Masa Alumni
20. Met Council MVP
21. Moishe House (ParkSlope)
22. NYC Office of Emergency Management
23. ORT America
24. Otsar Family Services
25. Park East Day School
26. Ramaz Lower School
27. Ramaz Middle School
28. Ramaz Upper School
29. Rodeph Shalom School
30. Rutgers Women's Business Leadership Initiative Alumni
31. SAR High School
32. SSDS Manhattan
33. Temple Shaaray Tefila
34. The Center for Kosher Culinary Arts
35. The Directors Forum
36. The Heschel School
37. The New Shul
38. Touro- Lander College for Women
39. UJA Federation of NY
40. Urban Assembly School for Emergency Management
41. Uri L'Tzedek
42. Wandering Jews of Astoria 

Thank you to our partners for making our 40th anniversary celebratory initiative "40 for 40" possible! Together, we engaged over 350 volunteers in 15 events throughout the month of Cheshvan (Oct 6-Nov 3) in over 800 volunteer hours!

Volunteer Today, Health Benefits Tomorrow

A new study shows that volunteering within your community can be beneficial for your health!

The study, entitled "Doing Good is Good for You", was sponsored by United Health Group and conducted among those who have volunteered at some point within the past twelve months, shows that becoming involved in your community can have tangible health benefits.

Our of more than 3,000 survey respondents, 76% said volunteering made them feel healthier, and 78% said that volunteering lessens feelings of stress. My personal favorite statistic is that 96% of people who gave back to their communities at some point in the past year felt an enriched sense of purpose in life, and just as many truly felt they were making a difference.

The study goes even further, pointing out that employers who instill a sense of volunteerism in their employees tend to see their efforts returned in the workplace, as volunteering can improve upon time management skills, communication, and interpersonal relationships. Many volunteers use professional skills in their volunteer positions, and about three quarters of respondents said that volunteering improved their competitiveness in the workplace in some way.

Met Council offers many opportunities to reap some of these benefits, so what are you waiting for? Or, share your volunteer success story in the comments!