There is a lot of bad news today and there has been for quite some time. While not minimizing tragedy, catastrophe, or heartache, perhaps it's appropriate to hear something positive for a change. Ready for some good news? Human beings possess a hint of the divine and that clue becomes clear in charitableness.
According to Corporation for National and Community Service data, senior volunteering hit a 10-year high in 2011, as more than twenty million older Americans donated nearly three billion hours of services valued at $67 billion. The data also indicates that one in three volunteers is age 55 or older; that the percentage of seniors volunteering increased from 25.1% in 2002 to 31.2% in 2011; and that 72.4% of older adults -- higher than the national average -- provided informal favors such as helping out a neighbor. Previous research has found that volunteering can have a positive effect on an older person's mental and physical health, with senior volunteers tending to report increased strength and energy levels, lower rates of depression, and fewer physical limitations.
I love that research shows what we've instinctively known to be true--serving is the highest form of living! And serving is tantamount to changing the world. As Anne Frank once said, "How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world."
No comments:
Post a Comment