Benefits of Volunteering with Carmel Clay Parks & Recreation

Benefits of Volunteering with CCPR

8 reasons to become a CCPR volunteer

Carmel Clay Parks & Recreation offers a variety of volunteer opportunities for all ages and abilities. You can get your hands dirty with our park stewardship programs, make an impact in the lives of local kiddos by volunteering with our before- and after-school program or recreation programs, or gather your colleagues for a group project.

Everyone has a different reason for choosing to volunteer. Maybe you need to fulfill a school requirement or want to give back to your community. Regardless of why you volunteer, you’ll reap the many benefits of donating your time.

Our Volunteer Coordinator has researched a list of the benefits volunteering. Here are a few of the many!

Social connection, integration, and camaraderie (Brown & Lehto, 2005). Get to know likeminded folks at volunteer event with us! Whether you’re new to Carmel or you’ve lived here all your life, you’ll meet new friends.
Sense of fulfillment and making a difference (Wearing, 2001). There’s nothing quite like planting a tree or seeing a kiddo’s smiling face. Get that sense of fulfillment with our volunteer opportunities.
Acquisition of new skills and knowledge (Prancer & Pratt, 1999).
Increased self-esteem leading to stress reduction (Musick et al., 1999)
Improving occupational opportunities (Granovetter, 1973). Volunteering looks great on a resume!
Emotional and mental benefits of “philantherapy” (Konwerski & Nahman, 2008)
Significant contribution to the local and global economy (Johns Hopkins University, 2011)
And even a longer lifespan! (Oman et al., 1999). Who knew the fountain of youth was volunteering? You heard it here first!

Have we convinced you? Signing up to volunteer is easy. Just follow these four easy steps:

Click here to register.
Create your volunteer profile.
Please wait to sign up for Adaptive, Recreation, Extended School Enrichment, Summer Camp, and Adopt-A-Park volunteer opportunities until your background check has been approved. If you signed up to volunteer with Park Stewardship, you will receive approval soon!
Sign up for opportunities.

Volunteer

CITATIONS

Brown, S. & Lehto, X. (2005). Travelling with a purpose: understanding the motives and benefits of volunteer vacationers. Current Issues in Tourism 8, 479–496.
Wearing, S. (2001). Volunteer Tourism: Experiences that Make a Difference. Wallingford: CABI.
Prancer, S. M. & Pratt, M. (1999). Social and Family Determinants of Community Service Involvement in Canadian Youth, in ROOTS OF CIVIC IDENTITY: INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVES ON COMMUNITY SERVICE AND ACTIVISM IN YOUTH (in Yates, M. & Youniss, J., Eds.), 32 -38.
Mark S. Granovetter (1973). The Strength of Weak Ties, American Journal of Sociology 78, 1360 -1380.
Marc A. Musick et al. (1999). Volunteering and Mortality among Older Adults: Findings from a National Sample, Journal of Gerontology 54 (b), S173-S180.
Konwerski, P. A. & Nashman, H. W. (2008). Philantherapy: a benefit for personnel and organizations managing volunteers (volunteer therapy). Volunteer action 9 (1), 46-59.
Johns Hopkins University Center for Civil Society Studies (2011). ILO Manual on the Measurement of Volunteer Work. Retrieved from https://www.volunteeralive.org/docs/ILO_Manual_Core_FINAL_3%202011.pdf
Doug Oman et al. (1999). Volunteerism and Mortality Among Community-dwelling Elderly. Journal of Health Psychology 4, 301-303.