Two volunteers from Metro Detroit are discovering that giving back to their communities brings unexpected personal rewards, from improved mental health to a deeper sense of purpose.
"When I volunteer in my community, I feel a great sense of fulfillment and purpose from being surrounded by people who are equally passionate about the same things I am," said Lauren Hatto of Troy.
"To be honest with you, I feel extremely uplifted and it's nothing short of a spiritual awakening," said Steven Prescott of Bloomfield Hills.
These two give back to their communities in many ways.
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Hatto, a senior at Troy High School, is the president of Teen Advisory Board at the Troy Public Library and head of Teen Volunteering at the Friends Bookstore.
In 2024, Hatto created a communication board for individuals who have trouble speaking, which earned her the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest achievement in Girl Scouting.
And it doesn't stop there for Hatto. Last year, she was one of 15 Girl Scouts nationwide to be selected to go to the United Nations for a conference on women’s rights.
“If it wasn’t for all the work I did here with the Teen Advisory Board, with Friends, and with my Gold Award, I never would have gained the courage to take that next step with my volunteerism with my advocacy on the global level,” Hatto said.
For Prescott, volunteering has a personal meaning.
"I've learned from them probably more than they've learned from me," Prescott said.
He volunteers once a week at FAR Therapeutic Arts and Recreation in Birmingham, a nonprofit that supports people with disabilities, which included his sister, Debbie.
"[She] died about 3.5 years ago, so I decided in her memory to try to volunteer kind of in her honor," Prescott said. "They have all different programs, where they take the clients to different places. We’ve been to Belle Isle, the (Detroit Institute of Art). We went to an aquarium...and it’s very pleasurable to be here.”
Not only is it great to give back. Experts also say volunteering and helping others does wonders for your health.
According to the Mayo Clinic, volunteering can help reduce anxiety and stress levels, especially in adults aged 65 and older. It creates a sense of purpose and teaches valuable skills, boosting your mood and self-esteem. It can also further decrease the risk of heart diseases, stroke, and depression.
"When you are volunteering, and you're in a happy place, or in you're in place that really makes you feel like you're doing something impactful, something that matters, it helps to shift your body into something we call the parasympathetic nervous system, which is our rest, our comfort and connection place to be," said Jessica Van Valkenburgh of FAR Therapeutic Arts and Recreation.
Van Valkenburgh is a registered somatic movement therapist at FAR. She says that the more we give back, the better we become at managing our emotions and our fight-or-flight response.
Not only that, she says, volunteering is a great way to heal.
"You'll be amazed not just by the impact you're making for other people, but what it can do for you, your soul, and your heart as well," Van Valkenburgh said.
"You know, there's a tremendous truth of life, the more you give out, the more you receive. So, not only are you volunteering and helping others, you are in fact helping yourself," Prescott said.
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