VOLUNTEERING JUST MIGHT CHANGE YOUR LIFE

By Jordan Hannan

On October 16th, 2002, my sister was born three months premature. Kaitlyn weighed in at two pounds and twelve ounces, small enough to be held in the palm of our dad’s hand and wear his wedding ring past her elbow. For two months, she awaited the daily visits from our parents to her incubator at Duke’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit before she could finally come home that winter. 

Kaitlyn’s next trip to the Duke NICU took place more than fifteen years later; she began visiting babies and families during the Christmas season. Kaitlyn provided the hope parents needed during the holiday season, proving their ability to leave the hospital with a healthy, complete family. It was clear how greatly she impacted the parents she interacted with, but I doubt they realized just how much they affected her, too. She consistently returned with a new perspective: gratitude for the doctors, staff, and benefactors of Duke Children’s and compassion for every family that’s walked those floors. 

Every time you volunteer, you have the chance to leave with a new perspective, and all it takes is a willingness to participate and an openness to learn from those around you. But how exactly can service change your mindset? 

• You are able to view your own life with a heightened sense of gratitude. Getting caught up in a routine, especially as the new academic year is starting, tends to keep high school students thinking only of themselves. Due dates, athletics, and part-time jobs take up the majority of your brain space, leading you to get caught up in your own world. However, by spending an extended period of time helping others, especially in a place where work and other commitments are inaccessible, you can take a moment to notice all of the overlooked blessings in your life. 
• You build a connection with a particular cause. Whether you are already involved in a given charity or not, every service event has the potential to become your new passion. By exposing yourself to various causes, you just might find your new go-to service opportunity or donation location. 
• You interact with a variety of other volunteers. An often overlooked aspect of service is the interaction and later connection with the volunteers themselves. Just by asking why they chose to serve at that particular nonprofit can spark personal conversations, opening your eyes to the variant beliefs and backgrounds of the people you work with, enabling you to be a more compassionate person in the future. 

Find your next opportunity for growth at Triangle Cares.