Volunteering a good 2010 resolution

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12:18 PM Thursday, December 31, 2009

So what did your New Year’s resolution turn out to be? Lose weight? Stop smoking? Take up a new hobby?

May we make another suggestion? Volunteer.

Offer your talent and services in 2010 to a cause or organization that needs help. You’ll be helping others and our community, and we suspect that you’ll feel better about yourself, too — no matter what those bathroom scales say.

This newspaper and other news organizations have reported on a disquieting trend in modern America: Television, the Internet, self-absorption and other distractions have caused many of us to withdraw and isolate ourselves; and thus participation in clubs and service organizations has been on the decline across the nation in recent years.

So it was encouraging to hear the results of a new survey — conducted by Kelton Research of New York and sponsored by Disney Parks and the nation’s largest volunteer system, HandsOn Network — which says more Americans plan to volunteer in 2010.

Among the survey’s highlights:

• Fifty-nine percent of Americans plan to volunteer in 2010.

• More women (62 percent) plan to volunteer, compared to men (54 percent).

• Forty-one percent would rather pledge to help others, rather than do something that is “purely self-serving.”

• More parents (68 percent) plan to volunteer this year, compared to single adults (55 percent).

Of course, we would be remiss not to call attention to the impressive work that’s already being done in our community by volunteers. Those who tend to community parks, tutor or read to students, or help senior citizens with yard work and house maintenance have earned our lasting gratitude and are to be commended.

But, generally, the number of needs is greater than the number of available volunteers. Here are a couple of examples of organizations that could use your assistance:

• PARACHUTE: Butler County Court Appointed Special Advocates trains and supervises community volunteers to work with abused and neglected children who are under the supervision of Butler County Juvenile Court. For more information, visit www.butlercountyohio.org/PARACHUTE; or call (513) 867-5010.

• Butler County’s LifeSpan organization is always looking for volunteers — on a short-term or ongoing basis — in a variety of areas. For more information, contact Dave McClain, volunteer coordinator, at (513) 868-3210.

• AARP needs volunteers to assist low- and moderate-income senior citizens here with their taxes. Call 1-888-227-7669 for more information.

• Butler County Children Services needs volunteers to help with its vital mission. Visit www.bccsb.org and click on the “Volunteer” button.

We would also encourage you to visit the HandsOn Network’s Web site — handsonnetwork.org — and enter your ZIP code to find volunteer opportunities in your vicinity.

If there’s one thing that we hear most frequently from our readers who call in, who comment online or who write letters to the editor, it’s that they’re not satisfied with the status quo in our community. Well, there’s a way to change that. Get involved. Help someone. Volunteer.

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