While the holiday season will eventually come to a close, the season of giving never does. Giving the gift of your time can be more meaningful than any material object purchased from a store. Start a New Year’s resolution early by finding a Dublin organization you’re passionate about and want to support.
Dublin is filled with philanthropic organizations that are always searching for volunteers and donors, and that are dedicated to uplifting the community and making life easier for families in tough times. Plus, the values learned in volunteering are critical for people of all ages.
Healthy Helpers
Photo Courtesy of Columbus Recreation and Parks website
Women planting trees in the park
While volunteers do what they do because of how it helps their community, not for how it helps themselves, the act of volunteering is hugely beneficial for the person doing the work, too. Many volunteers feel a greater sense of purpose when they help others, especially when the cause is something they care deeply about.
According to the Mayo Clinic, volunteerism leads to lower rates of depression and anxiety. Serving others increases dopamine production in the brain, leading to positive and relaxed feelings and reduced levels of stress.
Luckily, better mental health parlays into better physical health. The Mayo Clinic found that people who volunteer have lower mortality rates than those who don’t, which is likely due to the decreased risk of heart disease, stroke and general illness that’s associated with volunteering.
No matter your age, spending time in service helps cultivate a sense of meaning and appreciation for yourself and others.
Kids for Kindness
Don’t underestimate the power of kids as they can be some of the most passionate helpers in a community. While volunteer hours are often required for schools or clubs, the truth is that a volunteer hour requirement isn’t the driving force behind many kids’ volunteering efforts.
A survey shared by the City of Dublin from the Center for Democracy & Citizenship found that most young adults say they volunteer because they were asked, it makes them feel good or it makes a difference. Only 6 percent participated in their volunteer efforts because of a school requirement.
There are plenty of opportunities for kids to get involved with, and helping others can be a great place to start for teens who are struggling with self-esteem.
To find out more about volunteering opportunities for children, read our story on page 34 that features an event that happened this fall.
Teen Dream Team
These organizations present a perfect volunteering opportunity for teens. Whether they’re passionate about animals, the environment, diversity and inclusion, or civic service, Dublin has a wide range of needs that require many different skill sets.
Photo Courtesy of Columbus Zoo and Aquarium
Teen Volunteers at Columbus Zoo
- Columbus Zoo ZooAide Program: Perfect for teens who like to observe animals but not interact with them directly, this program provides an opportunity for teens going into grades 8-12 and are interested in a career in the conservation area. Volunteers will get experience on the customer service side of the zoo and aquarium, as well as develop leadership skills, knowledge of animals and professionalism skills, all while giving back.
- Columbus Humane: For those who DO want to be hands on with animals, Columbus Humane is the place to be. Junior volunteers ages 12-15 need an adult over 21 with them while serving and teen volunteers ages 16-17 are able to volunteer with guardian consent. Teens will go through training to learn how to help care for dogs, cats and rabbits, and have fun interacting with the animals.
- Dublin Parks and Recreation: Get your teens outside by getting them involved in volunteering at local parks. Columbus Parks and Recreation Department has more than 14,000 volunteers you can join through opportunities like invasive plant removal, playground mulching and cleanup, landscaping, tree planting, youth sports coaching, therapeutic recreation assistant and more. With several parks throughout Dublin there is always plenty to do.
- Kaleidoscope Youth Center: Those who are passionate about diversity and inclusion might find their calling assisting at the Kaleidoscope Youth Center. Kaleidoscope offers volunteer days of service that include cleaning and organizing the facility or preparing meals. Volunteers can also work with youths in the drop-in center with programming or special events.
- Dublin Arts Council: Your young artist can give back to a cause they care about by joining the Dublin Arts Council Stewards team. Let your teen practice their driving by visiting public art vessels to check their condition and restock supplies. Volunteers also play an integral part in packing free community creativity kits that are distributed at different times throughout the year.
Offer a Helping Hand
While youth volunteering is important, anyone can give back to their community. Volunteering is hugely beneficial to the community and it also benefits lifelong learners and people of all ages who want to see their community and the people in it thrive.
Courtesy of City of Columbus
Dublin Food Pantry volunteers
Dublin has unique volunteering needs for all ages and areas of expertise.
- Dublin Food Pantry: For businesses or organizations looking for a way to make an impact, the food pantry has the opportunity to hold your own 52-week food, fund and essential collection challenge. For individuals, the food pantry is always looking for pantry crew and driving volunteers.
- Ohio Wildlife Center: For those who wish they could get outside and interact with wildlife more, check out the wide range of volunteer opportunities at the Ohio Wildlife Center just north of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. Educators, event planners and animal rescuers alike can find their place with roles in need of unique skills.
- Water Quality Monitoring Team: Where would we be without clean water? Luckily, this is something we don’t have to worry about thanks to the Dublin water quality monitoring team. Join them in testing Dublin streams and waterways with a testing kit that sends back data to the city for monitoring. If you’re looking for a team bonding activity for your office, this is a great way to get outside, get some exercise and do your part in the community.
- Columbus Metropolitan Library: Always have your nose in a book? If you’re already spending time at the library, you might as well get involved with the community while you’re there. Volunteer opportunities at the library include assisting with programming such as school help and reading buddies, or helping customers with computer skills and shelving books or other materials.
According to the City of Dublin, 92 percent of young people say that “volunteering locally to help people directly” is an effective way to make change. Getting youth involved in volunteering early in life gives them a better chance of wanting to continue to give back in their adult lives.
Food Pantry Excitement
At 4:30 p.m. on Oct. 10, Dublin Food Pantry Board of Trustees member and avid volunteer Amy LaDu watched a dream come true at the ribbon cutting ceremony for the DFP’s new facility.
About 30 volunteers prepared the new location off Dublin Center Drive for hours before the ceremony, staging donated office furniture, stocking food on shelves and arranging champagne and donated Nothing Bundt Cakes for attendees.
Faces in the audience included City of Dublin officials, Mayor Jane Fox and a few of the over 1,200 donors to the pantry’s capital campaign that started in summer 2022. The campaign raised money to cover the DFP’s operating costs, since the organization is not government funded.
Attendees enjoyed remarks from LaDu, Fox and DFP incoming chair Kelli Traber and had the opportunity to explore the new facility as volunteers explained the flow of the new space. As they strolled through the bright rooms, they took in multicultural murals and artwork from Dublin high school students.
LaDu is still in awe of the new space.
“It’s a dream come true,” she says. “I mean, it is better than I could have ever imagined. … I’m still kind of pinching myself.”
The DFP opened the new center to Dublin community members the next day, and served 83 families in just two and a half hours during the first service shift. A major advantage of the new space for pantry clients is that they can now select the food items they want – a feature they did not have in the old space.
“I had a gentleman on Monday evening and he was trying to tell me he remembers the people coming out and taking him in and then taking their orders,” LaDu says. “And so he was trying to give me his order when I registered him, and I said, ‘No, you can go in that room and choose exactly what you do and do not want.”
LaDu says feedback from the city officials and Dublin community members who attended the ceremony was overwhelmingly positive and she loved seeing the joy on their faces.
“(My favorite part of the ceremony was) just seeing this concrete structure that came out of a dream,” she says.
Join the 3,000 volunteers who contribute more than 40,000 hours of service in Dublin and give one of the most invaluable gifts, your time, to a community organization in need. Dublin provides so many unique opportunities to give back to the community, whether you’re passionate about food security, animals, nature, art or uplifting your neighbors. No matter when you start volunteering, it’s never too late to help out.
Ava Huelskamp is an editorial assistant at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
