by Chef Eric J. Means

Created on: January 18, 2009

The multiple benefits of volunteerism help to make the world a better place. Effecting positive change through personal sacrifice is a labor of love. If only one person can make a difference, two will benefit.

"Touching the life of someone or, altering it with such significance that is irrevocably changed for the better, is beneficial to all. The value of volunteering is so much more than a sacrifice of time. Helping others is to connect with them and for a time-share their life. By building these bridges of love it is inevitable that friendships will be born; conversely, allowing for an exchange of ideas. This is learning, the birth of a new world in everyone's eyes. "Only a life lived for others is worth living". Albert Einstein.

The Corporation for National and Community Service has compiled data from numerous studies that have been conducted on the benefits of volunteering. The group that seems to benefit most from volunteering is the over sixty crowd. The benefits vary from person to person but, the results are unanimously positive. In a study conducted by (Brown et al., 2005) found that regardless of ethnicity, marital status, gender or religion, those who provided social support to others had a lower mortality rate. The data suggests that, their sense of worth or their self-esteem increased; thus, volunteers tend to take better care of them selves physically, because they are not depressed. It is reasonable to conclude that for the sixty plus group there are tangible, physical benefits directly attributed to volunteer service.

In recent years, a phenomenon called "Pay it forward" has come to fruition. The movie "Pay it forward" was released in October 2000, generating much interest in helping others. Over the years, different media outlets and community groups have expounded on the original idea. Many have begun initiatives of their own based on these principles. Give someone what he or she desperately need without asking questions. The only thing they must do in return is to pay it forward to someone else in need. The idea being that if everyone paid it forward the world would be a better place.

A group of sixth grade students at Highlands Ranch Christian Middle School has done just that. They where shown a clip from the movie "Pay it Forward" and asked what it meant to them. After much discussion the students where asked to come up with a plan of their own. Their scope of the ideas was wide ranging. $100 was raised through the sales of doughnuts to help

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