The Importance to Giving Back to the Community

A big dream of both Krista and I is to really give back to the community in any way possible. We partially get to do that by at least having our blog and the LCBD website. Both of these websites are geared towards making positive changes and giving inspiration to others. It’s a great ideal and we’ve made great strides to keep the momentum going. However, one thing we’ve discovered is that we really haven’t had a chance to dedicate ourselves to the community in a bigger way. Back when I was at Nielsen in Schaumburg, I participated in many community outreach events including my favorite one which was Hope 4 Haiti. It was a program where a group of individuals would put together food packets that would be sent to Haiti as part of the relief fund. It was very satisfying to know that we helped a lot of individuals and it was a fun event in general.

So when Krista got the word from one of her volunteer ushers about a program we could help out with, we decided to try it out last week and see how it would go and how we could help. We went to a nursing home on Thursday and for about a couple of hours we talked with some of the residents. We just chatted about their days, their lives, etc. There was a group of about 5 of us there and some of the members do this every Thursday and have done it for years. After some time of just having conversations, the group engages in singing some prayers and then ending with one final group prayer. Being a part of this just reminded me how awesome it is to give back to the community.

I have to admit I was a bit nervous at first in doing something like this. I had never been around that kind of environment before and I was nervous that I wouldn’t have much to say or I wouldn’t be able to relate to individuals that were older than me. It turned out to be a fulfilling evening though and even though I didn’t say all that much, it was enough to start that channel going and build something for subsequent weeks.

I think when we do things like this for the community we really build self worth in ourselves. We genuinely feel good because we’re called in this world to do good. We’re supposed to help our fellow man. We’re supposed to leave the world better than when we entered it. By doing activities such as spending time with the older folks of the community or rebuilding houses for others or putting together food packets for the hungry in another country, we work towards uniting the world and helping others that are less fortunate than us.

Let’s face it, everyone that is reading this blog is blessed to have a computer or an smart phone that can display this. You probably are reading this with some kind of shelter over your head. Right now in South Bend it’s actually in the 50′s and yet I sit in a very comfortable apartment. When you think about it in this perspective, we have a lot to be thankful for and a lot of work lies ahead to help others achieve what we have.

I won’t lie, it’s a big task to consciously make the time and effort to do things in life that will benefit others. We work a lot, we have to take care of our families and ultimately we just find that time slips away. But this simple activity that we have started doing takes literally 2 hours on a Thursday night. It’s 2 hours that I would probably just be either trying to relax or playing video games or something that is just not as productive and is selfish.

Why not take a couple hours out of your week and volunteer at your favorite cause. There are plenty of organizations out there that need your help every single day. Tell friends about your interests. See if any would be willing to come with you. If you have a partner, it’s even easier to develop a routine. Consider giving back to the community today. It not only benefits you, but it benefits all those that you help out. It could be mean the world to those individuals!

~The Lermz