Volunteers / Ambassador Program - West Park Hospital, Cody, Wyoming

Volunteers

Why volunteer?

There are many benefits to volunteering, from professional to health. Read on for a few good reasons to give your time.

According to the Corporation for National and Community Service, the following health benefits of volunteering have been documented by several scientific studies:

Volunteering provides older adults (those age 60 or older) with greater benefits than younger volunteers. These benefits include improved physical and mental health and greater life satisfaction.

More is more: Volunteers must be engaged in a regular amount of volunteering in order to derive health benefits. That amount has been variously defined as either 1) volunteering with two or more organizations; 2) 100 hours or more of volunteer activities per year; and 3) at least 40 hours of volunteering per year.

Volunteering leads to greater life satisfaction and lower rates of depression. Evidence indicates that volunteering has a positive effect on social psychological factors, such as a personal sense of purpose and accomplishment, and enhances a person’s social networks to buffer stress and reduce disease risk.

Individuals who volunteer live longer. Those who volunteer have lower mortality rates, even when taking into account such factors as physical health, age, socioeconomic status and gender Researchers have also found that when patients with chronic or serious illness volunteer, they receive benefits beyond what can be achieved through medical care.

Volunteering also has professional and social benefits for people of all ages. For example:

Students

It looks good on your resumé or college or job applications and lets people know that you're reliable and motivated
Gaining positive references for future education or jobs
Learning about the growing health care industry and learning new skills
Get your foot in the door/test the waters if you're interested in a health care career in the future
Less time commitment and more flexible hours than a part-time paid job
Satisfying community service requirements for clubs, school classes or other civic organizations, such as Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts.

Professionals