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    • Volunteering adds life to your years

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    Volunteering adds life to your years

    Join discussion Share
    • Category: Relationships
    • Keywords:
      • support
      • volunteering
      • Mary Jo Heiberger
    • Comments: 0
    • Posted: 5/12/2017
    Volunteers can play cards with seniors.

    Your local Good Samaritan Society is a good place to start.

    Click here to find a center near you.

    You know that helping a neighbor or friend makes you feel better. But maybe you didn’t know that volunteering could also be good for you.

    A study published in the Journals of Gerontology indicates that seniors who volunteer have significantly lower mortality rates than those who don’t.

    Health, habits, faith and social support can impact mortality rates as well; but volunteering is a good way for you to connect with people, says Mary Jo Heiberger, Good Samaritan Society resident services manager.

    “Volunteering gives people something to do and a reason to get out of bed. It can help them avoid isolation and becoming withdrawn,” she says.

    The connection and involvement that comes with volunteering is also meaningful for nonprofit organizations, says David J. Horazdovsky, Good Samaritan Society president and CEO. "At the Good Samaritan Society, volunteers have been helping us live out our mission from day one."

    Their time, talents and commitment have helped us share God’s love in the communities we serve, and allow us to provide our residents with opportunities to sing, to laugh, to live a full life." — David J. Horazdovsky, Good Samaritan Society president and CEO

    Image of grandfather and grandson looking at the ocean, surfboards in hand.

     What do I need to consider before I volunteer?

    • What are my skills and my personal priorities?
    • How do I want to use my talents?
    • Where would I like to work?

    More than 337,000 American seniors volunteer in Senior Corps programs like Senior Companions, RSVP or the Foster Grandparents system.

    Volunteermatch.org has many volunteer opportunities listed, too.

    Want to learn about opportunities at a Good Samaritan Society location near you?

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    Sioux Falls, SD 57108

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    The Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society (the Society) and Owner comply with applicable Federal civil rights laws. We do not discriminate against any person on the grounds of race, color, national origin, disability, familial status, religion, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, veteran status or other protected statuses except as permitted by applicable law, in admission to, participation in, or receipt of the services and benefits under any of its programs and activities, and in staff and employee assignments to individuals, whether carried out by the Society directly or through a contractor or any other entity with which the Society arranges to carry out its programs and activities. The designated person responsible for coordinating efforts to comply with Section 504 requirements is: Director of Affordable Housing, Property Management, 4800 W. 57th Street, Sioux Falls, SD 57108; phone: (605) 362-3100. For telecommunications relay service dial 711. All faiths or beliefs are welcome.

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