“No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another.”
— Charles Dickens
Close your eyes and think about a time when you helped someone — a charitable donation, a volunteer opportunity, maybe just a random act of kindness towards a stranger.
Think about how that generosity made you feel. It probably made you happy. You may be smiling thinking about it right now.
It’s no secret that helping others makes us happier people — as every major faith tradition and scientific study after scientific study confirms. Isaiah 58:10 tells us, “Feed the hungry, and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon.” And a recent study showed that people who were given a small amount of money and instructed to donate it were happier than those who were given the money and instructed to spend it on themselves.
It’s no accident that “the most wonderful time of the year” is also synonymous with giving.
So this December, I want to acknowledge Coloradans who have gone above and beyond to give back, and I want to challenge my fellow Coloradans to spread joy this holiday season through good deeds and community service.
Giving back can be formal or informal. This year marks the 25th Anniversary of one of our treasured formal ways of giving back: AmeriCorps, the United States’ national service program, through which 35,000 Americans have served at 800 service sites across Colorado.
Across our state, from the Eastern Plains to the Western Slope and everywhere in between, AmeriCorps has been at the forefront of doing good: helping to address the affordable housing crisis by building homes with Habitat for Humanity from Greeley to Montrose; establishing and tending community gardens and teaching cooking classes in Montezuma County and Gunnison; helping Colorado youth develop 21st-century workforce skills, graduate from high school, and consider STEM fields in academic and career choices in Fort Morgan; and conserving protected areas and mitigating fire risk from Durango to Woodland Park. And that’s just to name a few examples.
I am thankful that this year, Colorado received its largest-ever grant for programming in Colorado communities like Saguache, Fort Collins, and Steamboat Springs, and that national service in our region is getting stronger. This fall, the Corporation for National and Community Service will open a mountain region office in metro Denver, making Colorado a hub for national service through the Mountain West.
So this holiday season, please join me in congratulating AmeriCorps on 25 incredible years of service, and celebrating a culture of volunteerism. If you see an AmeriCorps member or other volunteer in a classroom, on the trail, or in your community, on behalf of myself and all Coloradans, thank them for their service.
And by all means, get involved yourself. Volunteering is not only a great way to upgrade your happiness, but also is a fun way to meet friends who share your interests and passions. And volunteer opportunities are as varied as life itself. If you like animals, consider your local animal shelter or humane society. If you like being outdoors, consider trail clean-ups.
It’s hard to find extra time in life. Between work and family, and especially during the holidays shuttling from store to store (or website to website) to buy gifts, things can seem overwhelming. Volunteering a day a week or more can actually help you find new positivity and balance that works for you.
So join your fellow Coloradans in giving back this season. Whether that’s through AmeriCorps, your local house of worship or school, feeding the homeless, a nonprofit, helping an elderly neighbor plow their driveway, donating to a food drive, or any other form of charity. Your contribution, no matter how big or small, can change lives and help ensure a happy, healthy and joyful holiday season for all Coloradans.
And once the lights come down after the new year — we can keep showing up and keep giving back. Charitable giving and volunteerism usually take a dip after the holidays, so in January and February and all throughout the year, we should continue to each do our part to make Colorado an even better place.
Coloradans are generous people. For generations, we’ve helped each other out in times of need, and it’s made us a better state and a better society.
Let’s do our part to pay it forward this holiday season and beyond.
Jared Polis is the governor of Colorado.
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