Building Community Through Service

This article by Makenzi Galvan was originally published in the Spring 2026 issue of The Federal Lawyer.

Now more than ever, we need positivity. The instant access to real-time information and world news can be draining as we are inundated with stories about un-precedented climate disasters, civil unrest, crime, war, poverty and the like. To counterbalance the heaviness, we should lean into sharing stories of hope and resiliency, engaging in acts of kindness towards others, and connecting with our communities.

It’s no secret that we feel happier and more connected to our fellow earth dwellers by sharing positivity and helping others—acts of service lift one’s spirit, invoke positive emotions, and contribute to a sense of community. It’s obvious why ideals such as “paying it forward” or invoking good karma are so popular. Even if helping others had no external benefits, which it clearly does, it feels good! And the results are in: donating your time to help others has pronounced mental and physical health benefits for volunteers in addition to the immense impact it can have on others in our underserved communities.1 Before you go through the mental checklist of all the other things you need to do before committing to volunteer (which is rational), hear me out. What if there was one more thing on your to-do list that was guaranteed to have an immediate, meaningful impact on yourself and someone else in your community?

Serving your community can look different de-pending on who you are, where you live, how much time you have, and what interests you. Of course, you can (and should) attend formal volunteering events or regularly engage with your favorite non-profit organizations, such as packing food at your local food bank every Christmas or cuddling with kittens at the humane society once a month. But the beauty is that there are plenty of diverse volunteering opportunities out there with all levels of commitment, skill require-ments, and impact. For example, I have volunteered to help coordinate local holiday parades with my city, planted trees at an inner-city elementary school, cooked meals for families with long-term children’s hospital stays, and hosted a bingo game for seniors at a local housing shelter. I say this not to brag about my volunteer efforts, but to instead provide examples of small, impactful ways to create a sense of community and bring joy to others in the hopes of inspiring others to engage.

There are so many other impactful ways to give back individually or in groups with a relatively discrete commitment. Incredibly, you can even volunteer without leaving the comfort of your house. An entire virtual volunteering network has bloomed over the last several years to provide accessible volunteering for people with disabilities or those who otherwise have limited time and resources to donate.2 Organizations like Points of Light, a non-profit global volunteer network, are determined to empower volunteers find meaningful opportunities to give back that are practical and suitable for all.3 For example, Points of Light has a robust platform to connect volunteers with organizations that allows you to filter by in-person or remote opportunities, level of commitment, interests, skill sets, and area of impact, such as civil rights, job training, or public safety.4 If neither in-person or physically active volunteering suits your lifestyle, there are opportunities to use your professional skills to support non-profit missions, like drafting grant applications, writing copy for websites, data entry, or joining a board of directors.5

Points of Light also has a list of DIY Volunteer Proj-ects for people of all ages to complete in their spare time at home. For inspiration, you (and your family) can create composting worm bins for you and your neighbors, write thank you letters to first responders, or assemble a few toiletry bags to drop off at nearby housing shelters.

And if none of these volunteering examples spark joy for you, you can still feel good and make an impact in your communities by simply offering a helping hand to a neighbor or friend. According to a 2023 U.S. Census Bureau report, informal helping is on the rise, with 54.2% of Americans reporting that they had helped their neighbors that year in addition to, or in lieu of, traditional community volunteer work.6

So, reach out to your elderly neighbor, pick up a shift at a local food bank, or join the board of a non-profit. The positive externalities and personal benefits are well worth it.

Endnotes

1 See Health Matters: The health benefits of volunteering, St. Peter’s Health, https://www.sphealth.org/ stories-news/stories/health-matters-health-benefits-volunteering-0 ( July 22, 2024) (last accessed Jan. 7, 2026).

2 As an example, nonprofit organizations provide information about how to volunteer from home and still bring joy to others, such as The Society of St. Vincent de Paul. Volunteer from Home, The Society

of St. Vincent De Paul https://www.stvincentdepaul.net/volunteer/ volunteer-home (last accessed Jan. 5, 2026).

3 Visit https://www.pointsoflight.org/volunteer/ for more ideas on how to get involved in your local communities.

4 To use the Points of Light volunteer search platform, visit https:// engage.pointsoflight.org/search/i/.

5 Online Volunteer Opportunities, Points of Light, https://www. pointsoflight.org/virtual-volunteering-opportunities/ (last accessed Jan. 7, 2026).

6 Laura Hanson Schlacter and Tim Marshall, New U.S. Census Bureau and AmeriCorps Research Tracks Virtual Volunteering for First Time, United States Census Bureau (Nov. 19, 2024). https://www.census. gov/library/stories/2024/11/civic-engagement-and-volunteerism. html.