Being of service to your community and your country is the finest and noblest thing that any citizen can do. We have lots of rights and opportunities here in the United States. But the single thing that makes this the greatest country to live in is the people. Our family, friends, and neighbors that are always willing to unite behind a cause when someone is in need. You see it over and over in countless situations, whether our military needs people to go forth and make the world safer for all of us or a natural disaster just shows up and devastates a community.
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There are jobs that pay people for their service and there are volunteer opportunities that just make our communities better and safer for everyone. Whether you support a cause, a group of people, or a specific event, there are countless ways that you can be of service to others in the United States. There are public options, such as military, police, and fire fighters. There are non-profit options, such as Teach For America or assisting The Red Cross. And there are personal initiatives, such as hosting clothing drives in the winter and food donation collections in the summer.
Below are just a few examples of some ways to be of service on a larger scale. This is not even close to being a decent list of opportunities that are available out there. Instead, it should be just enough to help generate some ideas or even cause you to search the web for great volunteer or service opportunities. Remember, not all service opportunities come with a paycheck, but we all benefit from them.
This is at the top of the list because it is essentially the granddaddy of all volunteer programs in the United States. While many of the programs that they manage or support provide volunteers with a stipend (a basic paycheck to cover living expenses) not all of the positions do, so pay attention when researching opportunities. But, then again, volunteering is often supposed to be just that so also don't get obsessed with the positions that offer stipends.
AmeriCorps manages and/or grants and oversees literally dozens of programs. Some are at the national level and some are specific to various states that co-manage their own local program with AmeriCorps. There are positions dealing focused on land conservation, food security, school teaching, working with the poor, acting as foster grandparents, responding to national crisis, and probably fifty other specialty areas. The scope and work of this organization is just too enormous to describe in only a few paragraphs. One major difference between this and other private social service organizations is that AmeriCorps is an independent agency of the United States government.
Though this organization is Headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, it has hundreds of offices and residential centers spread across 47 states and 32 affiliates serving under its name. Because of that Volunteers of America is able to help and provide services for over 2 million people in over 450 communities. Services include assistance to veterans, low-income seniors, children and families, the homeless, those with intellectual disabilities, those recovering from addiction, and the formerly incarcerated. VOA was founded in 1896 by the son of the man who founded the Salvation Army.
Founded in 1865, The Salvation Army (TSA) is the oldest and largest non-government provider of social services in the United States and one of the largest in the world, with operating costs of $3.6 billion a year. Locally, they do everything that you could imagine and more to serve the poor and under-privileged. Whether it is homeless shelters and food pantries or addiction treatment and the "Stuff-a-Bus" toy collection at Christmas time, TSA serves communities across America at all levels, assisting more than 32 million people a year in the U.S. alone. Further, as a global organization they maintain and manage feeding centers, homeless shelters, disaster relief programs, and refugee camps all around the world.
Founded in 1976, by Millard and Linda Fuller, Habitat for Humanity is another great organization that assists and supports people in various communities. Their specific focus is on building affordable housing for people that could not otherwise afford a home. Even though their work is funded by government grants and private donations, the labor is powered through volunteers, private contractors, and even hands-on work from the family intending to live in the home upon completion. Any costs associated with construction or materials are covered by the organization itself (which makes no profit from any project.) They have programs all across the United States and in 70 countries around the world. This is a great cause to volunteer for as well as a great listing on your résumé.
Again, there are many ways that you can serve your family, your neighbors, and your community without participating in any program or organization at all. You can simply walk around clearing and removing litter (but do NOT do this on or near roads, highways, train tracks, etc. - those are dangerous areas for which professional services already exist.) You can also offer to shovel snow from neighbor's driveways or offer to mow their lawn for free. You can start a fundraiser to host a breakfast or lunch event for local veterans or for first-responders in your community. You can volunteer to read stories to children at your local library or help out with coaching a little league team.
If you run short on ideas, there are many organizations that weren't even mentioned above, such as Goodwill and United Way (which has offices or programs in every state and many, many cities across the country.) Churches and fraternal organizations, such as the Eagles and the Elks, often host community events and organize fundraisers in their community. While military and first-responders are often the tip of the spear when it comes to serving our country, there really is no shortage of creative ways that you can serve and support your community and your country on a smaller scale.
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