Today I would like to share an article I wrote that was published in "The Foundation Focus" which is a newsletter for the Kentfield Schools Foundation. The title of the article is "The Joy of Giving." I gave it this title because of the joy I discovered when I started to give in my own unique ways. While the message that follows was written about giving to our son's schools, it is really about the joy that comes from giving your time, resources, and abilities.
I hope you'll read it and allow it to inspire you to feel the joy of giving by sharing your unique talents, time, and love.
The Joy of Giving
The best decision we have made in our life so far was to move to Greenbrae in time for our son Alex to start Kindergarten at Bacich Elementary School. From the first day of Kindergarten through the first part of this year’s fourth grade, all three of us have given thanks daily for being a part of such a wonderful group of parents, students and teachers.
As a full-time working mom I wanted to volunteer to help around the school, but could not be away from work during the day. It occured to me that because of my experience as a publication designer, the best way for me to contribute was by working on the Kentfield Schools Directory and designing other publications that benefit our schools. This “extra work” that I have taken on has brought me benefits way beyond my expectations.
Being an outstanding role model for your children is the best way to inspire them to develop positive habits. You receive many rewards from being part of your child’s life and their education. It helps them learn how good it feels to give generously and to help make a difference in your community when they see you contributing your time and your financial support to the schools.
By donating your time to work as a volunteer you also meet lots of really special people and many of them become friends. A strong feeling of connection develops when you are working with other parents toward the goal of giving your children the best education possible. The intangible rewards you receive include feelings of accomplishment and enjoyment, the knowledge that you are providing an outstanding role model for your child, and the evidence that our schools benefit directly from your contributions. Interestingly enough, by giving your time to our schools you often attract more opportunities in your own work.
The material benefits of donating your time seems to show up in entirely different areas — but they do show up!
Reading Deepak Chopra’s book, “The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success” helped me realize that giving and receiving are different parts of the flow of energy in the Universe. In the book he points out that if you have slowed down the flow of abundance in your life by focusing only on receiving, it is easy to re-start the flow of energy by focusing on what you are here to give.
I have observed that the least happy people are the people who think it is a waste of their time to volunteer to help. They seem to think that it should be up to the other parents in our community to give their money and their time to our schools. They frequently ask themselves the question that Deepak says is the dialogue of the ego, "What's in it for me?"
The happiest people in our school district are the ones who give the most in their own special ways by sharing their talents to benefit our schools and/or our community. They frequently ask themselves the questions that Deepak refers to as the dialogue of the spirit, "What am I here to give?" and "How can I help?"
My husband says he has noticed that being a volunteer transcends money, status quo and any other means of ‘categorizing", because the people who volunteer are giving unconditionally to help support our schools. Being a volunteer for our schools erases the boundaries created by differences in lifestyle. We have discovered that the joy of seeing the schools and community progress because of our efforts is one of the finest gifts you can receive.
Giving your time, energy, experience and talents along with donating some of your money can help our schools continue to give our children an outstanding educational experience. Knowing that you are making a difference will cause you to experience the joy of giving!
Written by Margaux Joy DeNador – Posted October 4, 2010
