The Benefits of Giving Back

There are a great number of reasons to give back. Benefits for you as well as for those you are serving. I learned this from an early age. Grandma Lucy would make plastic canvas Easter baskets for all of the individuals that attended the senior center she belonged to. She loved the joy this simple act brought to people. My parents also volunteered. My mom worked with the teens at our church, and my dad led a caravan class, directed bell choir, and played guitar during service.

I began my first long-term volunteer “job” as a freshman in high school. I became a teacher’s assistant to the garden program I had fallen in love with as a third grader. I spoke about it in a previous post (“It All Goes Back to the Garden”). I couldn’t have been in a better place when my world fell apart, and I went through my first depression. Along with it came bouts of anxiety that left me short of breath, gasping for air, and with a pain in my chest and back. Mrs. Baillis would simply give me tasks to do with repetition. Or we’d sit tearing sheets to use as ties for tomato and pepper plants. She’d talk me through the anxiety attack.

My FFA (Future Farmers of America) Chapter adopted a family every Christmas through Garfield Heights High School’s SOS program when they participated in Adopt-a-Family. We’d go to the store and buy everything on the family’s list. I was a member of SOS (Students of Service), so I was excited we did it. As a member of SOS, I also took part in the MS Walk, tutored with Cleveland Reads, and more. I loved every minute of it.

Volunteering, I find therapeutic. It brings a sense of peace. A feeling of accomplishment.

I always found joy in it, but I felt it even more so when I started volunteering with seniors in activities. I would complain about calling pokeno or bingo every week, but I secretly loved it… playing cards with the ladies… tea parties… tending the garden… simply handing out calendars. The seniors were so appreciative. Nothing felt better than putting a smile on their face. I learned SO much from our conversations. Lessons such as:

Never doubt yourself.
Family is important.
Life is never easy, but you need to keep going.

I also learned:

Watch the table when playing cards.
The difference between spades and clubs.
How to set a table for tea.

Those are just a few tidbits of information.

When I had to stop working in 2017, I felt useless. I hadn’t not worked since I was 15. I didn’t want to stop working, but I knew I had to. My therapist and psychiatrist were right in that aspect. My mental health wasn’t great. I needed to be able to make it a priority in order to simply get well and function. At the same time, I needed to be doing more than being in the gift shop on Saturdays. My therapist, Cassandra, suggested I look into volunteering for NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness).

So, I did. I began on NAMI Greater Cleveland’s helpline in the fall of 2017. I quickly got involved in Speaker’s Bureau, Ending the Silence, In Our Own Voice, and Peer-to-Peer. I also trained to facilitate a support group, put together their faith-based material, and did whatever else they needed me to do. I love going out to tell my story with their programs. While mentally and emotionally draining, it’s therapeutic. Especially Ending the Silence (or ETS). That one is geared towards middle/high school students, parents, and staff. SO MANY students have come up to me after the program to talk, ask questions, or simply tell me they didn’t feel alone anymore. All the misery my mental health conditions had caused me was actually helping others. And not just those I was speaking to. I came to the realization that I’m okay. I made it through everything that was put in my path. I found a true sense of purpose.

When I moved in 2020, I was lost. I didn’t really have NAMI anymore (among the array of things I lost in the transition). COVID didn’t make things easier. Well, NAMI GC started doing a lot through Zoom. I got to go back to helpline, teach Peer-to-Peer, and speak for various programs. I’ve even started facilitating a support group that we’re trying to get going. I don’t get to do as much for them, but I get to do something.

My new endeavor is youth softball. I played from the time I was 11 and played through high school. I adored my coaches. Ron, Dave, and Steve were the greatest. I understood the rules of the game, but I was never the best player. I found out my last two years of playing that I made a better 3^rd baseman than I ever did a catcher. I wish I would have known sooner. Anyway… I coached with Christine and Kellyn (two of my sisters) forever ago. We took a 7–10-year-old team. It was fun, but we only had the opportunity to do it one year. I found out the city I live in was looking for coaches. I called and talked to the program director. I found out on Wednesday that they have a team needing a head coach. This spring I will be coaching the 14U girls. I have been delving into coaching techniques, drill ideas, and practice plans. I hope I can make their season as fun as my coaches always made mine.

How do you give back? Is it a part of your self-care? Do you feel a sense of accomplishment or peace when you help someone?