Half of one person’s joy is the experiencing of another person’s joy; when you make someone happy, it makes you happy, too. When you give, you’re both giving and receiving, which is far more rewarding than just receiving.

I’d like to share with you reasons as to why I volunteer with United Way. My hope is that you’ll be encouraged to join the many UPSers across the country to make a difference in the lives of others (if you haven’t done so already).

Giving All I Have to Give

As a child growing up in Los Angeles, my parents instilled in me at a very early age the importance of giving back to the community and volunteering my time and talents to help others in need. At that time, I had no idea that it would transform my life and provide me with a fresh perspective about the concept of volunteering and participating in community service as an adult.

Throughout my college career, I logged hundreds of volunteers hours with local organizations surrounding the Tallahassee, Fla., area. During that time, I had the opportunity to meet individuals who had fallen on hard times and needed assistance – financially, emotionally and even physically.

United Way was right there to help those individuals rise up from their situation and provide them with hope and encouragement. As I’ve learned over the years, many of those who receive assistance from United Way are just like you and me. They are looking for a “hand up” – not a “hand out.” And that’s why I volunteer.

Currently, I volunteer with Mary Hall Freedom House, a United Way agency in Metro Atlanta. I began volunteering with Mary Hall Freedom House in 2008 and connected with them through my place of worship, Elizabeth Baptist Church. The owner of Mary Hall is a member of my church and she asked that our ministry members come to the facility and host a birthday party for the ladies who were trying to get their lives back on track. Many of the women at this facility (which is located around the corner from the UPS Corporate Office) have experienced addiction, poverty and homelessness and they have come to Mary Hall to help break that cycle. I have volunteered for the birthday parties on numerous occasions and it has literally changed my life. Seeing the joy on the faces of the women motivates me to come again and again.

I volunteer because I know that it could very well be me on the receiving end of the assistance that United Way provides to the numerous agencies here in the metro-Atlanta area. And, if I were to ever need that help, I firmly believe that my fellow UPSers and United Way would be right there to assist me. I volunteer because I know that my financial contributions are supporting agencies and people that live in the neighborhood I reside in. I volunteer because I am being the change that I want to see around me.

Working for a company like UPS that promotes volunteerism and encourages its employees to give is what our society needs. I am proud to be a part of a company that believes in the communities in which we do business. UPS not only believes in these communities, but we “put our money where our mouth is” and give financially to United Way as well. In fact, we recently celebrated a huge accomplishment of donating $1 billion to United Way since 1982. WOW!

So, I challenge you. Give and it shall be given back to you. Don’t put off tomorrow what can be done today. Take action while you still have time. Join the thousands of UPSers across the country and give while you have it. There’s no better time than now!