As another school year begins, I find myself reflecting not just on what we do, but why we do it. In a world that constantly urges us to hustle harder, look out for number one, and scroll past someone else’s pain, what we’re offering through service is radical in the best way possible.
We’re offering people the highest calling of all: to serve another human being. That’s not just a feel-good sentiment, it’s backed by decades of research.
Charles Murray, a social scientist who spent his life studying happiness in America, found that the two most powerful ingredients for a joyful life are:
1.A happy long-term relationship
2.A satisfying job or sense of meaningful work
Right behind those? Social connection and spiritual grounding. And the good news is, you don’t need all four. Just having two of these almost guarantees you to be very happy. And that’s why volunteering matters so deeply.
When you step into a classroom to read with a child, when you pick up the phone to call a lonely senior, when you show up to lift the load someone else is carrying, you’re not just helping them. You’re bringing purpose and connection into your own life, too.
Volunteering gives us meaningful work, deep relationships, and a sense that we’re part of something bigger than ourselves. It’s not always easy. Bearing someone else’s burdens rarely is. But it is transformative. For them, and for you.
We still need 175 Classroom Grandparents before the school year kicks off in full swing. If you’re feeling moved, or you know someone who needs the ingredients for a joyful life, now’s the time. Because when we serve others, we don’t just change others’ lives, we find the joy that changes ours, too.
-Robin Ingles, CEO