Practical Suggestions for Community Service (Final Part)

Most of us want to do some service but do not know where to start. So perhaps it is a good idea to revisit this concept, and with the help of the list below, look at the possibilities of service open to us. There are countless ways that we can serve, and you can explore many other ways to serve your fellow human beings. If you approach the opportunity to serve others with a radiant countenance and the pure motivation of kindness and love, you’ll find that the gifts you give will come back to you a thousandfold.

 

• Teaching house repairs, appliance repair, car repairs. Acquiring these skills can help individuals save a considerable amount of money.

 

• Teaching computer classes. Computers are the gateway to knowledge in this age. Many people do not know how to use this miracle of technology, and without it, they can feel quite lost. What a bounty to open up this new world to them!

 

 

• Helping refugees and newcomers by volunteering with the welcome wagon or other like-minded organizations. When people come to a new country or a new city, they need some orientation. The newcomers much appreciate any help in this regard.

 

• Teaching adult education. Not every adult is educated. It is not easy for adults who were unable to get an education in their childhood. To succeed in getting an education when they are adults, they need help and encouragement.

 

• Picking up medicine, providing food, cooking, cutting the grass or doing landscaping for the sick. These are other ways we can care for those who are ill or unable to do this work for themselves, which creates an opportunity for providing a service.

 

• Translating written materials or interpreting. Most newcomers in the country will take time to learn the language, and if they are older, it may take them much longer, so they have to rely on people to translate for them.

 

• Babysitting for those who cannot afford to pay for it and yet desperately need a break at times is liberating for those parents so that they have a little time with each other and can charge their batteries for facing the constant challenges of their lives.

 

• Doing taxes. Doing income tax is challenging and confusing for most of us, but for those who are new to it is an almost impossible job. Many can’t afford to pay someone to do it. Doing taxes is one of those gifts that not many can give to others, and that makes it very special.

 

• Giving financial advice. Sound advice on finances can change the direction of one’s life. Not many know to manage finances properly. Some people have learned this skill and can impart it to those who are badly in need of it.

 

• Offering to counsel those who need it. It is such a blessing to help someone who is struggling in life with mental or emotional, or physical challenges. It is highly rewarding.

 

• Providing medical services. This, like counselling, is a specialized field, but it does not mean that ordinary people like you and me cannot volunteer to provide first-aid, for example, if we have the training.

 

• Providing legal services. Though legal aid is a very affordable service, some people do not know how to access it. We can be the liaison to connect them.

 

• Doing makeup or making the costumes for plays. This is a unique service with its own rewards.

 

• Volunteering in community gardens. There is always some work in these gardens to help people who do not have land to grow their vegetables. Young people are always welcome to offer their manual services.

 

• Connecting with volunteer organizations for possibilities. In every town or city, there are many varieties of organizations that are trying to provide service to people. They rely on volunteers to help them. By connecting and consulting with these organizations and agencies, we can find many opportunities for service in the community that we live in.

 

• Volunteering with food programs in schools. Many schools have a food programme whose goal is to make sure no student goes to class hungry. They depend on the donations of stores and the services of volunteers to run them.

 

• Providing accommodation for the sick and needy. Most of the sick people in rural areas have to travel to bigger cities to get treatment and naturally have to stay in hotels and motels. Besides being expensive, these accommodations are not welcoming and do not provide an ideal environment for getting healthy. To open our homes and heart to help the sick was Abdul’-Baha’s way and His wish for us to emulate.

 

• Remembering in your prayers and supporting those who are going through difficult times. Even if we don’t have time to offer a service for our communities, we can always rely on the power of prayers that can have more beneficial effects than our physical efforts.