Author: Ken Culp
Planning Unit: 4-H Central Operations
Major Program: Volunteer Development
Outcome: Long-Term Outcome
Health Benefits of Volunteering
Ken Culp, III, Ph.D.
Principal Specialist for Volunteerism
Department of 4-H Youth Development
Volunteers make an impactful difference in the lives of people, communities, and Cooperative Extension. Volunteers serve with the intent to help others. But volunteering can benefit the health of the individual as well. These health benefits were never more important than during “the year of COVID”. Researchers have measured the benefits that volunteers receive including their positive feelings (referred to as “helper’s high”), increased trust in others, and increased social interaction.
In addition to lowering stress and boosting self-confidence, research has shown that volunteering offers many health benefits. These health benefits are especially important for older adults. These health benefits, realized from volunteering, include:
Volunteers in Cooperative Extension come from a wide variety of backgrounds but share the common desires of helping others and serving the organization. They are men, women, parents, retirees, teenagers, former 4-H members, professionals, homemakers, and students. They volunteer for different reasons: to provide benefits to their children and other youth, to explore careers, sharpen workforce, communications, and leadership skills, to improve their standard of living, improve their community, stay active during retirement, and put their free time to good use.
In the 2019-2020 program year, 8,410 adult and 3,452 teen volunteers served the Kentucky 4-H program alone. Collectively, these 11,862 volunteers delivered the 4-H program to 244,103 youth in the commonwealth. Of these 244,103 4-H participants, 103,515 were members of organized clubs, 48,829 were enrolled in special interest programs, and 61,684 participated in school enrichment programs. In the 2019-2020 program year, 10,747 adults participated in Extension Homemakers. Additionally, for the same time period, there were 735 active Master Gardeners and 376 newly certified Master Gardeners, for a total of 1,111, with 38 counties reporting.
Volunteers deliver Extension programs to audiences that would otherwise not be served or reached by staff. Volunteers provide skills and services that the organization would otherwise not be able to afford or provide. Volunteers extend the outreach of the organization and multiply staff efforts. Volunteers enable Extension to function fully, effectively, and efficiently.
In addition to health benefits, volunteers receive a sense of self-satisfaction from working with and helping people, teaching skills, serving their communities, sharing their talents, skills, interests, and passions, and developing personal leadership, interest, and job skills. The fact that volunteer service actually promotes good health and well-being of volunteers and may also extend their life expectancy is a tremendous bonus that should also be utilized by Extension professionals when marketing and promoting service opportunities and recruiting potential volunteers.
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