Jorge Muñoz: The Work of Angels (October 2009) Los Amigos Call for Action (October 2009) Sandra Ramos: Strengthening Her Sisters  (October 2009) Create the Good (October 2009) Find Your Volunteer Niche (October 2009) Volunteering Trends Among Latinos

When Yara Muro came to the United States from Cuba as a teen, she lived in a Catholic home for girls until her parents could join her. The nuns expected the girls to assume cleaning, cooking, and other chores. Though you’d expect many teens to complain, Muro liked helping out. “It made me feel good,” she says.

Muro, now 62, still feels good about helping out. For the past ten years, she has volunteered for Catholic Hospice, relieving caregivers and brightening the day for terminally ill patients. “I could instead relax during my spare time, but this is more rejuvenating and rewarding,” says Muro, a real estate agent in Miami. “It lifts my spirits to have something important to do. I actually feel younger.”

Muro not only feels younger, but she may actually be staying healthier and happier—and even extending her life span. People who volunteer are less likely to report ailments or feel depressed, are more likely to be satisfied with life, and may even live longer, according to dozens of studies. And those health benefits kick in for those who volunteer about 100 hours a year.
 
“Volunteers derive holistic benefits, with improved body, mind, and spiritual well-being,” says Dr. Jorge Partida, a clinical psychologist licensed in Illinois and California, originally from Guadalajara, Mexico. He co-founded Los Compadres Sin Fronteras, a group that recruits volunteers to assist needy families.

First, he explains, volunteering helps people stay intellectually sharp as they learn new skills. Second, volunteering keeps them on their toes. Rather than sit around, volunteers are active. And finally, Partida says, volunteers derive spiritual satisfaction knowing they are changing the world for the better and enriching the lives of others.

“Our core values  can be found in volunteerism: collectivism, la raza, mi casa es su casa, and extended family systems.”— Elaine DeBassige D’Amato, Professional counselor

Giving Back: A Cultural Trait
The spiritual rewards of serving others resonate strongly with Hispanics, says Elaine DeBassige D'Amato, a licensed professional counselor who grew up in a small Hispanic village in New Mexico and now runs a consulting service for people in transition in Glendale, Colorado. “Volunteering gives people a place to belong, be wanted, use their strengths, and shine. Our culture is family- and community-based. Our core values can be found in volunteerism: collectivism, la raza, mi casa es su casa, and extended family systems. Giving back is an integral part of the culture.”

It was the urge to give back that inspired Lyette Segerdahl, 59, who immigrated to the United States from Cuba when she was 12. “This country has been good to me, so I like to help people as I was helped,” she says. She volunteers as a firefighter and emergency medical technician, serves on the beautification committee for her town, and interprets for Spanish-speaking patients at a free clinic in Norwalk, Connecticut.

Segerdahl says her busy volunteer schedule keeps her on top of her game. “Volunteering is not something I do to kill time,” she says. “I have a full life: I sew, paint, and garden. I have chickens, ducks, rabbits, goats, and birds. I've been married for 30 years and have two children and two grandchildren. I make time to volunteer because it makes me happy to contribute. Volunteering also forces me to stay active and take care of my health, so as not to miss my volunteer activities.”

Latino Volunteering Trends Nearly half of all Hispanics volunteer, according to a recent AARP study. And a Volunteering in America report found that on average, Latino volunteers give 46 hours a year, mostly to fundraise and to collect, prepare, distribute, or serve food. Image: Rod Little

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