Why Volunteer?

Helping Feels Good!

Volunteering for Nashoba Neighbors not only benefits the person requesting assistance, it provides mental and physical health benefits for the volunteer, too!

According to AARP, volunteering:

• Generates a sense of purpose and fulfillment—and increases your self-confidence while you’re at it!

• Keeps you physically and mentally active. A study released by Johns Hopkins University in 2009 revealed that volunteers actually increased their brain functioning. Volunteer activities get you moving and thinking at the same time.

• Reduces stress levels. Volunteers often report feeling a sense of meaning and appreciation—both given and received—which can be calming.

• Decreases your risk of depression. Volunteering with and for others increases social interaction and helps build a support system based on common commitment and interests—both of which have been shown to decrease depression.

• Creates “The Happiness Effect.” You know that great feeling you get after a vigorous workout? It comes from a release of dopamine in the brain. Helping others has that exact same effect—so the more you volunteer, the happier you become!

Make New Friends

Many volunteers form close relationships with those they help. When there are especially good matches between members and volunteers, members may ask for the same volunteers to return often! Genuine friendships form. This is one of the most wonderful benefits of volunteering with Nashoba Neighbors.

Flexible Times & Tasks

When you volunteer for Nashoba Neighbors, you choose:

• the days and times when you are available,
• the kinds of tasks you feel most qualified to do and that interest you, and
• the towns where you'd like to help - Berlin, Bolton, and/or Lancaster!

A Great Team

Nashoba Neighbors has lots of welcoming, generous, thoughtful, helpful, team-oriented people like you! Meet the members of this team, join in some of our celebrations and activities, participate in presentations to the community, and perhaps even mentor new volunteers! It's an energized, dedicated group!

Help Your Community

Approximately 30% of each of our town populations is over the age of 60, yet our towns have allocated only about 1% of the 2020 town services budget for supporting these seniors! So even though some community groups, like our local Councils on Aging, offer varied services, it is not enough. Volunteer to help address current gaps in service for our seniors.

Meet Your Neighbors

Many of us are so busy these days, we hardly know our neighbors anymore. Volunteering with Nashoba Neighbors allows you to meet and help out some of the most interesting people in town, full of stories and insights! We are proud of our seniors and love when they share their knowledge and experiences.

Learn

All Nashoba Neighbors volunteers receive some initial training, as well as ongoing support as they work with new members who need their help. In addition, members are asked to give feedback on the help they receive. When you volunteer with Nashoba Neighbors, you will learn and improve - you will grow in your competence and confidence and you will take this with you to every interaction and volunteer experience you pursue in the future.