When you give of yourself, you gain

Volunteers, you inspire us.

We’re talking to you, Post Falls Food Bank octogenerians featured recently in The Press.

We’re talking to you, retirees who would rather get up and help someone than sit around and watch TV.

Volunteerism enriches us in ways no other activity can. Some of the best medicine for a person consumed by his or her problems is to help someone whose problems are even greater. Helping someone else enhances our sense of worth and reminds us that we belong; that the world would be slightly worse off without us.

Children and young adults can learn these valuable lessons and establish healthy lifetime volunteer habits with proper encouragement. Even the busiest adults can find time to help someone else, because they’re actually investing in their own growth. But retirees are the golden age mother lode, with time on their hands, wisdom in their heads and love in their hearts making them extraordinary volunteers.

Need a little inspiration? Listen to Muhammad Ali: “Service to others is the rent you pay for the room here on Earth.”

And Aristotle: “What is the essence of life? To serve others and to do good.”

How about Winston Churchill? “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”

And Albert Einstein: “Only a life lived for others is worth living.”

You get the idea. Now, how about putting it into motion?

The Retired and Senior Volunteer Program, operated through the Area Agency on Aging, has a place for you: People who can assist those who need court-appointed guardians; adult education tutors; companions for homebound seniors; Meals on Wheels; food banks; animal shelters; elementary school tutors; thrift store workers; the Boys and Girls Club, and more.

Volunteers can work as little or as much as they want.

If you’ve got the will, they’ve got a way.

For information or to volunteer, contact Bob Small at 667-3179 ext. 235 or email [email protected].