Volunteer Opportunities at Hands of Heartland

Working in a full-time job doesn’t always give people the opportunity and satisfaction of feeling as if they are contributing to their local community. Sometimes it’s necessary to take the extra steps beyond our careers to go out of our way to help local businesses and organizations providing important services with additional help in the form of volunteer work in order to help them accomplish their mission. This holds especially true for organizations like Hands of Heartland, an organization focused on serving individuals with developmental disabilities by providing a variety of community integration services. Let’s talk about some of the ways community service volunteers help both the community and Hands of Heartland’s mission.

Supporting Community Integration

At the core of our mission, we seek to enable individuals with disabilities to fully experience life. Not only do we focus on their day-to-day at home, we work with local businesses to coordinate employment services as well as independence in their interactions throughout the community. Many organizations like ours are privately owned and operated, which helps us focus on the individual’s experience, but also requires us to rely heavily on community involvement with programs designed to support individuals with disabilities learning and becoming involved in activities they may not otherwise be able to access.

Community Co-Ops

Rather than sheltered workshops or exclusive events that take place out of the public eye, we work with community organizations to host events open to anyone in the community willing to attend and learn something new. These events are organized in conjunction with local volunteer groups and help to strengthen the communication skills, vocational skills, and daily life skills of individuals with disabilities.

Benefits to Self and Community

You might be asking how does volunteering help the community. Those who become community service volunteers help open doors and bridge the gap between segments of the community that might never otherwise cross paths. In addition to the benefits to those with disabilities, volunteers experience an improved social connection with the community, improved mental health and stability, and even improvements to physical health, self care, and quality of life. For college-age volunteers, it provides strong experience that can be reflected on a school application or resume.

Local Economic Impact

With the proper level of advocacy and coordination, you can work to bring your business into the mix with corporate philanthropic events designed to support the local community with funding and bodies that might be otherwise unavailable. This can provide the additional benefit of increasing employee retention and attracting employees with a community service-based mindset that will strengthen your operation in the long run.

Volunteer with Us Today

If you’re looking to become a community service volunteer in the Omaha or Bellevue markets in Nebraska, reach out to Hands of Heartland today. Our team can help you learn more about community outreach programs, and help you or your business to determine how volunteering can help the community you love.