Canyon View Medical Logo - Color

7 Ways To Be A Blessing

Holidays are a great time of year to focus on family, friends, and gratitude. Even though we have our own challenges, it is important to look for ways to help others who may be struggling. Helping those in need is fulfilling but also a reminder of how comparatively fortunate we are. Helping others creates happiness. Happy people focus on what they have, not on what they don’t have. Happiness tends to come from having intimate and personal connections and inner growth rather than having more things. Here are a few ideas of ways to add to your happiness by serving in your community this month:

  1. Contact local schools, clubs or teams. Many schools and clubs have traditional events they sponsor during the holiday season. For example, the National Honor Society (NHS) at one school collects donations from students and has fundraisers to provide a traditional turkey dinner to local families in need. Almost every elementary school has a food drive to give to households with limited financial resources or local food banks.
  1. Look for organized opportunities to give and serve at your place of employment. Consider personal ways to recognize the efforts of others you work with by thanking them in individually, learning and calling them by name or by writing a note of thanks for their part in making your work a better place.
  1. Community services are already established in many areas but volunteer time and financial demands are increased during the holiday season. Spend a few hours serving food at a local food bank or the Food and Care Coalition. Donate money or items that can be re-purposed and re-used to charitable services and organizations, like the Kidney Foundation, Deseret Industries, Tabitha’s Way, Restore or the Salvation Army. Collect unused makeup and perfume to donate to a center for abused women or House of Hope.
  1. Local animal shelters are always in need of volunteers to help clean cages, answer phones or make holiday decorations for waiting rooms in the shelter. Contact a shelter and speak with the volunteer coordinator to see what help is needed.
  1. Write a letter of gratitude to a friend or family member, neighbor, previous teacher or influential person in your life. Show support for our troops by volunteering to help support active-duty U.S. servicemen or women. Begin by contacting an organization that ships packages to troops, such as Operation Gratitude or Operation Troop Support. Personal letters of appreciation and small items like socks, decks of cards, candy, and even toothbrushes are great for servicemen.
  1. Contact volunteer coordinators at the Senior Center or Nursing Home to see how you can serve the residents. Raking leaves or shoveling snow for a senior citizen is often a welcome way to help someone on your street. Even going for a walk, delivering a meal or reading to an elder who is housebound can make their day with an elderly member of the community.
  1. Make care kits with combs, toothbrushes, shampoo, or first aid kits and donate to a homeless shelter, humanitarian group or cancer center. If you are a good candidate, donate blood to the American Red Cross.

Service brings blessings… not only to the receiver but to the thoughtful giver too. The list is endless but the effects of serving and giving are priceless.

page
Matthew Walton, DO
Canyon-View_Provider-Austin_BILLS
providers
Austin Bills, DO
801-798-7301
Family Medicine
Canyon-View_Provider-Aaron-FAUSETT
providers
Aaron Fausett, PA
801-465-9820
Family Medicine
Canyon-View_Provider-Stephen-TAKASAKI
providers
Stephen Takasaki, DO
801-489-8464
Family Medicine
Load more results