National Day of Service: Reflections on Service to Others
Get AARP Foundation insights, commentary, and analysis every month with our Profiles on Foundation Leaders series. This month’s column features reflections from AARP Foundation Interim President Emily Allen.
Beginning this Sunday, September 11, AARP and AARP Foundation staff will volunteer in their communities during the week to commemorate those we lost on September 11 and honor our first responders.?I plan to deliver meals to homebound seniors through Iona Senior Services, where I have served on the Board and volunteered frequently in the past.?
If we are truly living our mission, then some part of our time each year should be spent in service to others.??
Volunteering is not just a one-time event for AARP Foundation.?It’s been central to our mission since its inception. As AARP’s founder, Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus, observed, “It is only in the giving of oneself to others that we truly live.” I could not agree more. If we are truly living our mission, then some part of our time each year should be spent in service to others.??
My own volunteering began at a young age. My mother was Director of Volunteers at an Oklahoma City hospital, and as early as 2nd grade, you could find me at the hospital information desk fielding calls, or in the hospital delivering flowers to patients. I wasn’t interested in getting a paying job because my Mom taught me that volunteering was simply what a person did.????
While serving others is certainly about giving back and helping those in need, it also benefits volunteers themselves. A growing body of research has established that volunteers have lower mortality rates, less depression, and greater brain health.?They also possess greater functional ability, which simply means they can live independently later in life than those who do not serve.??
In my own life, volunteering helped me explore career paths and develop leadership skills I might not have had access to otherwise.?For instance, when I taught First Aid and CPR classes as a Red Cross volunteer, it helped me discover I really enjoyed teaching, which I later pursued as a career.??And, as a national suicide prevention hotline volunteer, I learned to be an active, nonjudgmental listener.?I also learned to help hotline callers find the answers within themselves rather than telling them what to do.?Those abilities have been extremely valuable to me in the workplace and I’ve used them throughout my career.???
So, I encourage people to find a way to volunteer on this National Day of Service, during the week that follows, and also during the year.?You may find it’s not only good for those you serve, but good for you as well.
AARP Foundation Interim President