Blog

February 16, 2020, Presidents Day week-end.

Being of Service

     OK guys, this is a topic that I kind of struggle with.  Not because I don’t want to be of service to my fellow man/woman, because I do.  What I struggle with is… exactly what defines “being of service”?  In our program it can anything from being a sponsor to being a secretary of a meeting, going on 12 step calls.  Working on the hotline, helping with events, being on committees, speaking, supporting a particular meeting/s and keeping the doors open so that newcomers can have a place to come for help.   In church, being of service can be anything from helping in Sunday school classes, to leading a home group, cleaning the church, helping with events and committee work and so on. 

     In the community, it can mean helping the homeless, working in soup kitchens, being on safety boards, library, helping with youth events and activities, volunteering for Red Cross, United Way, taking meals to shut-ins or any non-profit organization.   All of the afore mentioned are for free and for fun, selfless service. No monetary pay.  But I also believe that many people are in paying jobs that are being of service to people also.  Like, our military, like nurses, doctors, EMT’s, teachers, clergy and the list goes on.  Some of them more than others, it’s easy to spot a nurse who cares and has a kind heart and isn’t there “just for the money”.  Or a teacher who helps her students beyond the required hours and gives up lunches and after school time to help them, or simply takes their time with struggling students in her class.  These people in the helping professions are easy to spot.  This doesn’t mean that all professionals who do not work after hours do not care, nothing is further from the truth. It also doesn’t mean that people who work in say sports, construction, manufacturing, sells, decorating and a million other capacities are not loving and caring people. 

     So then, there’s a lot of ways to be of service, right?  Well, what about the fundamental fact of taking care of your own family.  This may sound simple, but we all know, especially those of us in recovery, know that not everybody is taking care of their own kids.  Not by a long shot!  So, I say to you, taking care of our own families is being of service, taking care of other people’s kids is being of service and I think this is the most important job on the planet. You’ve heard the old saying: “The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world”! It’s an old proverb that means: The person who raises a child determines the character of that child and so influences the type of society that the next generation will create.  That’s a lot power if you ask me, but this is true and it shows in our society.  Scary huh!

     With all that being said, I’d love to hear from you all about what you consider service, selfless service to humanity.  Of course, we do that in small bites and chunks and hope that others are doing it in their homes and communities as well.  You know, I once heard that if every little church in their community would help the widows, orphans and poor people in their little area, we would not need welfare states! Wow! Wouldn’t that be great? We’d all be helping each other, instead of getting the government involved.  But that would mean that the people of that little church would have to be committed to helping and giving in their little local churches.  Hummm, now there’s a fun thought. 

     Last thoughts; I have been of service in my meetings, area and region for NA, I’ve been of service at my church, I’ve been of service in my community and I must say there were many times I drug myself to my service committees grumbling.  Because it was time to go and show and do, I didn’t want to. I wanted to stay in my warm house, relax, watch TV, go do something with family or friends, but noooooo..  I’d made a promise, a commitment, so, I’d go.  I do try to be a lady of my word.  But the thing is, once I got there, did my thing, I felt so good.  On the way home I’d be smiling, thanking God for helping me to get there, do my service commitment and get through it.  We all find that pretty much that in giving we receive and what a blessing that is! 

     Meanwhile, I have to tell you, I have over done it a time or two in my day, by trying to help others and give back, I did too much.  It became impossible to keep up and I was stressing out.  I had to cut back and yet, everything seemed important to me.  Being team mom for my son’s soccer team, taking my daughter to her classes and events and doing all the other service work and working two jobs and going to school, whew! Meanwhile, I’m suppose to be maintaining my own recovery. Well, they say recovery begins at home, so there it is!   It became overwhelming.  We have to learn balance and figure out what’s most important and valuable to us.  Pray about where God wants you. What is my gift? Where do my talents lie? How do I give back? What do I have to give?  These are the important questions we must ask ourselves.

Question of the week:  What kind of service do you do or have done? For God, country, family, recovery, community? How can we balance being of service to others and take care of ourselves too? 

Here’s some fun facts about Volunteerism.

None of these are intended for you to do or compare yourselves to, it’s just some fun facts about the topic.

Volunteer statistics

Only 55% of nonprofits assess volunteer impact. (All nonprofits should be!)

One out of four American’s volunteer, two out of three Americans help their neighbor according to a study performed by The Corporation for National & Community Service.

Individuals between the ages of 35 and 54 are the most likely to volunteer their time according to The Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Volunteers are worth on average $24.14 an hour according to an Independent Sector Study.

Volunteers are almost twice as likely to donate to a charity than those that don’t volunteer according to The Corporation for National & Community Service.

San Jose, CA is ranked #1 for recruiting volunteers who are millennials.

Volunteerism has a value of over $184 billion dollars

Volunteerism improves health by strengthening the body, improving mood, and lessening stress in participants.

Those who volunteer regularly have a 27% better chance of gaining employment.

60% of hiring managers see the act of volunteerism as a valuable asset when making recruitment decisions according to a study performed by Career Builder.

According to a report from Blackbaud #GivingTuesday, 2017 processed more than $60.9 million from over 7,200 organizations (not bad for a single day).

Volunteers under the age of 24 accounts for 22.6% of all volunteers.

Benjamin Franklin started The Union Fire Company, in 1736, the first volunteer-run firehouse worldwide.

Aristotle (born: 384 BC) once said: “the essence of life is to serve others and do good.”

4% of college graduates, 25 years or older, volunteer each year.

Volunteers, on average, spend 50 hours per year donating their time to the greater good.

Over 71% of volunteers work with only one organization each year.

67% of people found volunteer opportunities online in 2014 vs 34% in 2006.

A study by Deloitte found that 61% of millennials who rarely or never volunteer still consider a company’s commitment to the community when making a decision on a potential job.

92% of human resource executives agree that contributing to a nonprofit can improve an employees leadership skills.

In 2014, 39% of 12th-grade students reported that they volunteered at least once per month according to findings from Child Trends.

There are more than 1.8 million active nonprofits in the United States alone (the ability to volunteer is endless 😊).

Women currently volunteer more than men (by about 6% more) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Volunteers are 66% more likely to donate financially to the organization they support than those who do not volunteer their time.

Food preparation and distribution was the most reported volunteer activity representing 11.3% in 2015.

And I might add:  12 step programs are run by the members themselves. That means it takes a lot of volunteers and member cooperation to help support and run. There are now over 77,000 NA in the world weekly and they are in 144 countries.  This is all to say, it takes a whole lot of volunteering to run a global organize of that magnitude.  AA is the same way.

 Service Organization :  

The primary service provided by Narcotics Anonymous is the NA group meeting. Each group runs itself based on principles common to the entire organization, which is expressed in NA’s literature. Most groups rent space for their meetings in buildings run by public, religious, or civic organizations. Individual members lead the NA meetings while other members participate by sharing about their experiences in recovering from drug addiction. Group members also work together to perform the activities associated with running a meeting. In a country where Narcotics Anonymous is a relatively new and emerging fellowship, the NA group is the only level of organization. In places where a number of Narcotics Anonymous groups have had the chance to develop and stabilize, groups elect representatives to form a local service committee. These local committees usually offer a number of services. Included among them are: