If I asked you what your 50 was, would you know how to respond? What is '50' and why is it significant?
"What's Your 50" is an Iowa initiative asking it's residents to think about how many hours they spend a year volunteering. So why is 50 important?
50 is the number of hours annually that has been shown to have the most impact not only on the entity that the volunteer is assisting, but also the volunteer themselves. Those that reach this point start to reap health benefits (lower depression and mortality, etc) and are more likely to keep volunteering. The benefit of this is two-fold--increasing Iowa's health (Governor's Healthiest State Initiative) and harnessing the power of Iowa's greatest asset--the people--to make our communities better. When you give the gift of your time to your community, you become invested in it. You want to see it succeed!
Currently, Iowans spend a little over 34 hours volunteering a year. Let's strive for 50! To break it down, that's less than an hour a week! Just think what could happen if we all turned our passion to purpose and gave just a little more!
My platform as Mrs. Iowa International is Volunteerism. While 'What's Your 50?' is an Iowa campaign, it's principles can certainly apply to any state or country. Volunteering is something that is close to my heart and I want others to experience the same rewarding joy that it has brought me. I have been using social media to highlight different volunteer opportunities that are out there--not everyone has the same gifts or purpose, so I want to showcase a wide variety of ways to be involved (I am only one person and not superhuman, so I also want to highlight volunteer clearinghouses that are so helpful in matching people to a need--my local organization is the Volunteer Network of Clay County).
For more information, check out:
www.facebook.com/JillBreesBarrMusic
www.twitter.com/jillbreesbarr
www.volunteeriowa.org
www.volunteerclaycounty.com
Be the Change. Be the Light. #ServeLoveVolunteer
Cheers!
Jill
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