Getting involved in your community is a great way to contribute your time and efforts to help those in need. It will help you build relationships, grow as a person, and could ultimately change someone's life. Here are some ways you can get involved in your community no matter where you live.

1.) Volunteer at a childcare facility

If you are great with children, volunteering at a childcare facility is an excellent way to get involved. In the summer, there are many opportunities to spend quality time with children. Big Brothers/Big Sisters is another organization that is a fantastic way to spend time with children and truly make an impact on their lives. In every community, there will always be a need for childcare and mentoring. As an education major, this would be a great way for me personally to get involved in my community. I am a tennis instructor to children of all ages at my job and it is one of the most rewarding things in life. I can honestly say that spending time with children in your community will be truly beneficial for you and the children you are spending time with.

2.) Get Plugged into a Local Church

I have always had the best community within the church and it is truly a wonderful way to get involved in your community. You will meet so many new people that want to get to know you and you will build relationship that will last. However, picking the right church is often difficult and many people may struggle with this. Find a church that holds the Bible as a firm foundation in which they live by and preach daily. Find a church that truly cares for you as a person and also wants to help guide you in your faith. Once you find a church, get plugged in as soon as you can. Join small groups, help the audio/visual team, go on mission trips, etc.. You will build community by getting plugged into a local church and most importantly it will help you get to know Jesus more and more by just other believers pouring into you and you hearing the absolute truth.

3.) Join a sports team as a Coach or a Player

If you love sports, this is a great way to get involve in your community. Sports always brings people together and helps you really build relationships on a deeper level. Whether you join as a player or a coach, you will impact someone else's life and they will impact yours. If you solely wanted to play, you could join a softball team, ultimate frisbee, flag football, tennis team, and many more. Many communities offer many ways to get involved within sports. If you want to be a coach, even more opportunities arise mainly because there are simply more sports available to youth. No matter what it is, do not hesitate to get involved in sports within your community.

4.) Volunteer at a Nursing Home

If children, church, or sports all fail which without a doubt is doubtful, volunteering at nursing home would be an excellent way to get involved in your community. Residents at a nursing home often need care and just someone to talk with and play cards with. From my experience, I have learned so much just by talking to them a little bit and they are so encouraging to be around. I worked at a nursing home as a server and some can be rather uptight, however many were super encouraging and really helped me when I was having a bad day at work. Their stories are the most incredible as they have had so much experience. I wanted so bad to just sit down and talk all day with them. Do not be afraid to volunteer at a nursing home as it is a terrific way to impact your community!

These are just a few ways to get involved in your community and truly make an impact to others. However, you will most likely find that they will have a greater impact on you than you will on them. Get involved! It is totally worth the time and effort and it usually doesn't cost you one penny to get involved. But, if you would rather spend money and not time, food and clothes are always in need of donation to help those in need. What are you waiting for? Stop reading this and go get involved!!!