Volunteering Strengthens Our Community Connections

Guest post by Julie Daigle

Community Health and Development Coordinator, Healthy Acadia

Volunteering is defined by the Cambridge online dictionary as “doing something, especially helping other people, willingly and without being forced or paid to do it.” Volunteer efforts support or even drive the work of all nonprofit organizations, to a greater or lesser extent, and Healthy Acadia is no exception to any list of nonprofit organizations which rely on volunteers.

Thank you to each of you who is willing to share your hearts and interests with us as a volunteer in service to your communities. You are part of a strong culture of volunteering in Maine: According to an Americorps report published in early January of this year, Maine ranked #4 in formal volunteering in 2021 out of all states, and #3 in informal volunteering1- informal volunteering includes things like checking in on a neighbor and helping a friend with a project. It’s volunteer assistance performed outside of organizational coordination. And while household management tasks aren’t typically considered part of this tally, including the often uncompensated daily work of running a household and managing family schedules in that tally can help provide an important perspective on how prevalent and valuable this activity is.

Here at Healthy Acadia, different focus areas and programs in our organization need differing levels of volunteer assistance, but some of our programs that rely heavily on volunteers to reach the people we serve include our gleaning programs, recovery services, and warming shelter. There are, however, opportunities in nearly every area. This includes administrative tasks, which are critical to our overall mission of improving health outcomes for everyone and helping to build thriving communities. We appreciate all types of time and effort that are offered!

“No one is an island; it does take a village. You need to pool resources in order to accomplish more.” - NIna Zelden, Healthy Acadia Community Health Coordinator and Tai Chi for Health Institute Master Trainer

As volunteerhub.com states, “There is something truly special about being able to contribute to the greater good. Volunteerism has been shown to improve a volunteer’s mood, decrease stress, and increase strength. The benefits of volunteerism are full circle for volunteers and the communities they serve.”  

In recognition of the essential nature of volunteering to our organization and to our communities, Healthy Acadia is now offering volunteers, or donors of time, the opportunity to be listed in our public donor acknowledgments: www.healthyacadia.org/volunteer.

To learn more about the work Healthy Acadia engages in throughout Hancock and Washington counties and in partnership with excellent organizations in other counties around the state, explore our website, follow us on social media, subscribe to our newsletter, or contact us by email.

If you would like to volunteer with Healthy Acadia, please complete and submit our online volunteer registration form to indicate your interest in sharing your time and interests with us. A Healthy Acadia staff member will get back to you shortly to help identify the existing opportunities with us which may be good matches for you. Please don’t hesitate to fill out the volunteer registration form; we would love to connect with you and learn more about you and your priorities! 

1 https://www.americorps.gov/about/our-impact/volunteering-civic-life/me