Benefits of Volunteering

• Volunteering is a great way to “scratch your itch.” If you want to volunteer, you are itching to make the world a nicer place and to fulfill your own needs as well.
   
• Volunteer “for the health of it.” A University of Michigan research study proved people who volunteer are happier and live longer than those who do not volunteer.
   
• Volunteering helps other people, not as fortunate as you, to enjoy a better life.
   
• When you are volunteering, a 100% salary is paid—directly into your heart. No taxes are deducted.
   
• One volunteering expense is tax-deductible. Mileage to and from your volunteer work, plus any miles you incur in that work, can be deducted at 14 cents per mile.
   
• Volunteer if you also have experienced recovery from mental illness, or another of life’s challenges, yourself. Volunteering is a great way “to give back.”
   
• If you are someone with a family member recovering from mental illness, you might find it rewarding to volunteer as a friend to a person to whom you are not related, because you may not be able to do all the things you would like with your own family member.
   
• Volunteering could be your way to add to your resume and acquire a job reference. Always list volunteer work on a resume.
   
• Compeer volunteering is a great way to break into the behavioral health field. For example, with Compeer staff support, several volunteers have become residential counselors, intensive case managers, outpatient therapists and recovery educators.