The holidays give rise to a season of giving. It is normal for people to want to be part of that giving process. It can really make a person feel good to contribute in a way that helps others, much like a medical student who helps her first patient to get well.
Charity is often more than simply opening your wallet. Sometimes it means giving back to your local community in a more hands on way. Sure, anyone can write out a check and make helping others someone else’s problem, but the spirit of giving is not a spectator’s sport. Real charity comes from the heart, when a person is moved by compassion to lend a hand where it is most needed. If more people became active in charity work, then their community would be a more functional place for all its members. With a little thought, anyone can be part of the giving process.
When People do Not Contribute to Their Community
It is common to find communities where people do not contribute anything, nor give anything back. In most of these communities, there is not the close tight-knit, neighborly feeling you get from visiting other towns and cities. Rather, the general disconnect makes such a community feel cold and sterile. This is especially the case in neighborhoods where there is a lot of crime or neighbors do not trust one another. According to an article in the New York Times, the disconnect is hardest felt in many inner city black communities, where the demographic of poor, uneducated black men are the hardest hit by a general sense of disconnect from modern society.
This is a problem that has reached a climax in recent decades. But, even in desperate communities, replacing hopelessness people feel with a sense of purpose and hope helps to rejuvenate a community spirit. What better way to bring hope into a community but for people to actively participate in making their community a better place to live?
Ways to Give Back to Your Community
When it comes to giving back to your community, it is possible to find many ways a person is able to contribute. Helping shut-ins, those who lack the ability to drive themselves where they need to go, is a good place to begin. Helping the elderly and disabled get to the store, the doctors office, or other important appointments brings a sense of community back to a neighborhood. In addition, the experience is able to enhance your life too, as you realize you are providing a much needed service to others. Helping out at a children’s organization is also a nice way to give back to a community in a positive manner. Being a role model for the youth of a community is always a beneficial contribution, one that a genuinely willing person is able to provide. Those who truly want to give of themselves to others will undoubtedly leave a positive mark on their community.
Originally posted on December 9, 2014 @ 12:00 pm