When you volunteer, you give part of yourself?your time, energy, skills and feelings. You give to your family and friends, to your neighbors, to your community. Sometimes, you are giving to people you don?t know, to people thousands of miles away. You are also giving to yourself. People who volunteer know their contributions to others and to their communities also bring them feelings of self-fulfillment and the knowledge that they have made a difference.

There is a wide range of ways to volunteer ? from helping the needy to aiding schools to lending a hand at museums and other non-profit organizations. There is a need for every skill you have and a benefit for every moment you donate.

Volunteering is also a way of saying thank you. It's a way of recognizing the countless others who, in big ways and small, have made life richer and better through donations of time and effort. But there is more to volunteering than giving. As a volunteer, you also reap personal benefits and enhance your personal growth.