9 Best Reasons to Volunteer  - PMD Alliance

“As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands—one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.”
— Audrey Hepburn 

Choosing to serve your community is good for you. When you commit to volunteering as a support group leader, you’ll not only positively impact your group members and their families, you’ll feel enriched by purpose and connection.

In the last two years, the movement disorders community has lost nearly 30% of all support groups. Whether you’re a prospective or practicing leader, we need YOU now more than ever. Here are 9 reasons to step up and volunteer in your community: 

1. Better Physical Health

Volunteers often report reduced levels of stress and lower blood pressure. In fact, giving back may even help you live longer: research from the Longitudinal Study of Aging shows that people who volunteer have lower mortality rates than those who don’t, making volunteering an excellent choice for your health.

2.  Keeps You Mentally Active

Volunteering often means learning new skills, brainstorming in community, and problem-solving, which keeps your brain engaged, boosting your cognitive health.

3. Builds Connections.

Volunteering, especially as a support group leader, brings you into community with your neighbors, sparking new friendships and helping you and those you serve feel less alone. 

4. Boosts Your Confidence.

When you find a role that suits you and practice it by committing to it week after week, you’ll realize you’re far more capable than you think. There’s nothing like going all in and watching yourself rise up to the challenge.

5. Deepens Satisfaction.

Everything flourishes in the nourishing light of appreciation. When you show your community love, it’ll thrive, and knowing you were part of its flourishing is a really good feeling. 

6. Creates Depth.

When you commit to being of service, you grow in depth. You become a person of substance who’s dedicated to making a difference in a real and meaningful way, and that’s admirable. 

7. Cultivates Gratitude.

Volunteering helps you see the world in a new light, which may deepen your sense of gratitude for what you have.

8. Increases Your Happiness.

Volunteers report improved mental health and more joy. Giving back can shift you into a more positive outlook on life, your identity, and what you can do when you set your heart and mind to it. The more we give, the happier we feel. 

9. Deepens Meaning.

One of the surest ways to meaning is to give back. Choosing to serve your community will leave you with an undeniable sense of purpose. That’s a powerful feeling. 

If you’re wondering how you can give back or if you have what it takes, we’re here to support and empower you. We’re the experts in support group leader development, and we have the tools to support you in your journey, whether you’re a prospective leader, newbie, or veteran. Join us at ALL IN!™, a first-ever national, in-person convening of community & support group leaders this October in Washington, DC. You’ll develop your confidence to lead, reinvigorate your commitment to serve, and gain practical strategies for building sustainable groups and cultivating joy in the movement disorders community.  

Step up and answer the call. Giving back will look good on you. 

October 22-25, 2022 

Grand Hyatt in Washington, DC  

Early bird pricing is available through July 15.  

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