Volunteering is the perfect way to feel connected to your community. The simple act of offering your skills and enthusiasm will positively impact the lives of others, as well as your own. Volunteering provides many benefits to both mental and physical health. Volunteering can provide a healthy boost to your self-confidence, self-esteem, and life satisfaction. You are doing good for others and the community, which provides a natural sense of accomplishment. Your role as a volunteer can also give you a sense of pride and identity. And the better you feel about yourself, the more likely you are to have a positive view of your life and future goals.

Reducing the risk of depression is another important benefit of volunteering. A key risk factor for depression is social isolation. Volunteering keeps you in regular contact with others and helps you develop a solid support system, which in turn protects you against stress and depression when you’re going through challenging times. Volunteering is good for your health at any age, but it’s especially beneficial in older adults. Studies have found that those who volunteer have a lower mortality rate than those who do not, even when considering factors like the health of the participants. Volunteering has also been shown to lessen symptoms of chronic pain or heart disease.

Check out these groups looking for volunteers:

A Special Wish Foundation, the wish granting organization located in the Dayton region, is looking for 25 volunteers to help with the 4th Annual Glow Fore Wishes night time golf scramble on Friday, August 23. The event is from 6 – 11PM at Community Golf Course. “Midnight” Breakfast Buffet provided. Call Mariesa Stock at 937-641-4263 if interested in helping

Bike Miami Valley is looking for a group to handle bike valet parking at Oktoberfest for Sunday, 29 September! Want to support cycling? Love beer? Here’s your chance! Bike Miami Valley encourages all local festivals to have bike valet parking – and Oktoberfest is out front! We need a group to provide people to handle bike valet parking – racks provided. You have a chance to set up a table, sell t-shirts, promote your organization – and get free admission (a $12 value) to Oktoberfest! Send an email if interested!

Garden Station is looking for some volunteers to help organize events for Urban Nights on Friday, September 20th! Garden Station is transforming a two acre lot on the northeast corner of Fourth Street and Wayne Avenue that was vacant for more than 40 years into a vibrant art park and community garden.Who wants to help showcase Garden Station as one of the coolest spots in the city? Email if interested/

FilmDayton‘s 5th annual festival is coming Aug 23-25th, headquartered at The Neon, and they could use a few more volunteers to cover all the bases. They need folks for set-up, ticket takers, greeters and odd jobs, too. Fill out the online form and volunteer for a shift – you get a free movie ticket out of the deal, too!

MostMetro will be updating these opportunities each week. If your organization has a need for volunteers, email us your info and we’ll include you in the next update.