It’s easy to see that volunteering in your community through Kids Hope USA creates a wide-reaching impact. Students’ lives are being transformed, schools are strengthened through consistent support, and the Church becomes an active, caring presence within the community. But have you ever paused to ask yourself, “What do I get out of this?” or “What are the benefits of volunteering consistently?”
In a world filled with busy schedules and endless demands, that’s a perfectly normal question to consider — and an important one.
This blog explores that very question. Because at Kids Hope USA, mentors show up for students — but the impact doesn’t stop there.
What Volunteering Does for Your Student and School
Volunteering your time has the power to change a student’s story. In just one hour each week, you become a steady presence in a child’s life. You become someone they can count on. Over time, that consistency builds student confidence, hope, and resilience.
Your impact also reaches beyond one student. When you walk into the school to meet your mentee, you create a ripple effect that touches the classroom and the broader school culture. The consistency that you provide for your student makes an impact when the student returns to their classroom. By volunteering, the school staff will begin to notice that you are giving your time to help improve their place of work. Schools thrive when community members show up, and your presence helps make that possible.
What Volunteering Does for You Personally
When you give your time, you start to grow. Showing up for your student opens the door for you to practice patience, empathy, and emotional awareness, and those same qualities often overflow into your other relationships. Mentoring helps you become more understanding, especially when connecting with young people — a skill that carries over into every area of life.
Mentoring also shifts your perspective. Seeing the world through a child’s eyes reminds you to slow down, celebrate small victories, and find joy in the little things. That fresh outlook has a way of shaping how you see your own life, too.
And when you walk out of the school after your mentoring hour, there’s a good chance you’ll feel it — that sense that your time mattered. Because it did. Mentoring deepens your sense of purpose and reminds you just how powerful one hour can be.
What Volunteering Does for Your Community
Another one of the benefits of volunteering is the way it impacts your community. Mentoring connects people from across the community – families, schools, churches, and community partners all come together to watch their local students begin to thrive. By saying ‘yes’ to mentoring, you become a part of something bigger: a movement that builds a stronger, caring community.
What Volunteering Does for Your Faith Journey
For believers, volunteering drastically affects your spiritual life. Serving your student and community is seen as an act of worship and obedience. It’s a way to live out love through your actions. Mentoring creates space for God to work in both the mentor and the child. Sometimes God grows us the most when we’re helping someone else grow.
The Benefits of Volunteering
What does volunteering do for you? It changes you – your heart, your perspective, your connection to others, and your faith. If you’ve ever wondered what you might gain from volunteering your time, step into mentoring. When you sign up to make a difference in a child’s life, you will soon realize the difference being made in you.
Get Involved
Ready to see how the benefits of volunteering could change your life — and a child’s? Learn more about the Kids Hope USA mentoring program. Head to kidshopeusa.org/get-involved to learn more about getting involved and making an impact!
If you are a current mentor, take a moment this week to reflect on how this experience has changed you. Don’t forget to share your story with us!