Be Mindful: How volunteering at SISD helps with mental health
EL PASO (KVIA) - The National Alliance on Mental Illness, or NAMI, points out on its website that volunteering is a great way of improving mental health.
That's something definitely recognized at the Socorro Independent School District, where some volunteers tell ABC-7 anchor Paul Cicala, that donating their time to help the schools, truly aid in their mental well-being.
Anielka Figueroa volunteers as a band booster at El Dorado High School.
She says those hours of volunteering are definitely a "pick me up", knowing she's helping others and bonding with fellow parents and students.
"We've become such a good group and close group and family, that it just takes all the worries away, at least for those few hours that we're together," said Anielka.
The Natinal Alliance of Mental Illness (or NAMI) points out that the benefits of volunteering include:
- Reducing Stress
- Increasing Happiness
- Developing Confidence
- Finding a Reason To Help Others
Those aspects are also something that's echoed by Socorro ISD Interim Superintendent James Vasquez.
"By waking up, they have a purpose, to serve the school," said Vasquez, as he opened up to KVIA's Paul Cicala "They're there to see the kids every single day. They see the bright, shiny, smiley faces every morning, so we truly appreciate what (the volunteers) do."
The appreciation is evident every year around this time, when the SISD holds award ceremonies for its hundreds of volunteers, and, at this year's ceremonies, speakers even made sure to point out the benefits of mental health through volunteering.
Anielka Figueroa also received an award, and she says that staying busy, while helping others, is a tremendous benefit.
"You know what, we gotta' wake up, we gotta' do hair, we gotta' pack lunches," said Figueroa, "We've gotta' be there for the kids so, it just takes away the toll from what I'm going through and focusing on what the kids might need, so it helps me as a parent, with just that extra support to give back to the school."
In Anielka's case as a volunteer band booster...-boosting- her outlook on life, and -boasting- about the benefits:
"It just means a lot."
