Apr 08National Volunteer Week

you are a leader national volunteer week april 8 through 12 2019

It’s National Volunteer Week, a very special time for Mercy Housing. Volunteering is good for everyone, the community, and even your health. If you’d like to volunteer with Mercy Housing, we have endless opportunities for you to join us at a property in your area. If you can’t make it this week, that’s okay—Mercy Housing has year-round opportunities as well as special events. Residents are getting involved too. Over 2,500 Mercy Housing residents volunteered last year alone.

Volunteering Makes You Healthy

Did you know that volunteering has proven to be good for your health? Here are five ways that volunteering can improve your own wellbeing:

volunteer helping resident with health check up

Blood Pressure-Routine volunteering reduces the risk of hypertension and can lower blood pressure.

Depression- When we do things for others, we’re less prone to periods of depression and the positive effects last longer than if we had done something just for ourselves.

Live Longer- Older adults that volunteer are reported to have less of a risk of mortality. Some say it’s due to the happiness associated with time spent with others.

Memory- Especially with retired volunteers, volunteering has shown to reduce the risk of memory loss and dementia.

Stress- Researchers are seeing that when stressed, busy people get the opportunity to volunteer for their community, substantially reduces anxiety.

Just a few hours of volunteering per week can make all the difference in your life. A lot of people are experiencing these benefits across the nation. The most recent volunteer survey found that about 25% of the U.S. population volunteers.

When you bring mercy and hope to others’ lives, your life improves too. Together, we can make a difference.