Everyday Canvas

Volunteers

Prompt:
"Volunteers don't get paid, not because they're worthless but because they're priceless."
Write about this in your Blog entry today.

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First, if volunteers were to be paid, what they do wouldn't be called volunteering, would it! It would be paid work. So, the quote negates itself from that point of view. Still, volunteering does a lot of good to a community and to the volunteers themselves. From that angle, yes, volunteers are priceless.

Since we already know how much volunteers contribute to society, we can also weigh how much they contribute to themselves. Those benefits could be a sense of fulfillment, community connection, skill development, expanded social connections, personal growth, positive resume additions, possibly improved mental and physical health, and enhanced empathy and feelings of compassion, which already do and should exist within a volunteer.

Volunteers are also agents who contribute greatly to improve a society, by showing goodwill and adding their service. Their work can leave a positive influence on a community and the individual lives of people, to create a ripple effect of change for the better.