Volunteering and its Surprising Benefits

In today's busy society, it can be hard to think about finding time to volunteer. _____ , the benefits of volunteering are enormous（巨大的）, both to you and to the community. The right match can help you find friends, reach out to the community, learn new skills and even _____ your career. Volunteering can even help protect your mental and physical health.

One of the better-known benefits of volunteering is the ____ on the community. Unpaid volunteers are often the glue（胶水） that holds a community together. Volunteering allows you to ____ your community and make it a better place.

One of the best ______ to make new friends and strengthen existing relationships is to _____ to a shared activity together. Volunteering is a great way to meet new people, _____ if you are  new to an area. Volunteering also strengthens your ____ to the community and broadens your support network, ___ you to people with common interests, neighbourhood resources, and fun and fulfilling activities.

 ___ some people are naturally outgoing,others are _____ and have a hard time meeting new people. Volunteering gives you the _____ to practise and develop your social skills, since you are meeting regularly with a group of people with _____ interests. Once you have motivation, it's easier to branch out and  make more friends and contacts.

Volunteering can provide a healthy boost （激励）to your self-confidence, self-esteem and life satisfaction. You are doing good for others and the community , which ______ a natural sense of accomplishment. Your ____ as a volunteer can also give you a sense of pride and identity. And the better you feel about yourself, the more ______ you are to have a positive view of your life and future goals.

 _____ the risk of depression is another important benefit of volunteering. A key ____ in depression is social isolation（孤立）. Volunteering _____ you in regular contact with others and helps you develop a solid support system, which ______ protects you against stress and depression when you' re going through challenging times.

   What can help you make a fortune in the future？Graduating from atop university might not be enough. A new study from the University of Essex in Britain has shown that the more friends you have in school，the more money you'll earn later.

The idea that popularity could have a serious influence on one's earning potential（潜力）shouldn't come as too much of a surprise. The researchers noted that if you want to get ahead in life，social skills and networking are easily as powerful as talent and hard work.

"If a person has lots of friends，it means that he or she has the ability to get along with others in all kinds of different situations，"said Xu Yanchun，17，from a high school in Shenzhen，who totally agreed with the recent finding." Also，friends always help each other. They not only create wider social circles for you but lift your mood when you are occasionally in low spirits，"said Xu. She believed that all this helps you "earn a higher salary".

Maybe that's why some people think the younger generations are in the age of Friendaholism. A woman even complained that the networking website Facebook's 5，000-friend limit was too low for her large reserve（储备）of social contacts.

But what does a friend mean？Should friends be regarded as a form of money？

"Call me uncool，but I think of a friend as an actual person with whom I have an actual history and whom I enjoy actually seeing. It seems，however，that this is no longer the meaning of a friend，"said Meghan Daum，who works with the Los Angeles Times in the US.

Daum disliked the idea that quantity trumps quality in the age of Friendaholism. Although she agreed that social ties grease（给……加润滑油）the wheels of life，she also warned，"Too bad one thing money can't buy is a real friend."

   In the United States a voluntary organization called Musician Corps is making a difference in people's lives. Five years ago，Kiff Gallagher，the founder of the organization，realized that music and public services could be used together to help Americans in need. Recognizing that music has a positive effect on Alzheimer's disease and autism（自闭症），he had the idea of creating Musician Corps.

Musician Corps looks for musicians and trains them as teachers. Then the musicians provide these services in city schools，children's hospitals，and assisted-living homes for older adults. They also help organize community concerts. Anyone can play music at these community activities.

Kiff Gallagher says what makes Musician Corps different from other charity organizations is that everybody can take part. It provides a place for people to get involved. He remembers a Musician Corps event at a hospital. Afterwards，he says，the patients are less depressed.

David Meletiche, one of 200 musicians in Musician Corps, teaches an after-school guitar class in a high-crime neighborhood. He is excited that the group gives him not only a job in a difficult economy but also the chance to use the team-building skills he gained in college.

There are 12 high school students in his class. Selena Makwan, one of them who are learning to play the guitar, says the program keeps her busy.“It definitely keeps me off the streets, because without this program I probably would be wandering around right now and I would not know what to do. And it also gives me an opportunity to learn something I've never done before.”

Musician Corps has established programs in California and North Carolina. Kiff Gallagher hopes Musician Corps will continue to expand across America.