Statistically, volunteering has a positive impact on many areas of our lives and those around us.
“It impacts our emotional and physical well-being by getting us out and about, meeting new people, staying a little physically active and giving us an overall sense of having accomplished something good with our time,” said Uriah Williams, executive director of Shawano Area United Way. “I have seen firsthand how helping out our communities can totally change our perspective of the world and what’s going on around us.”
He cited several examples.
“It’s easy to feel like the next generation is unruly and rude until you volunteer at a Shawano Area Early Childhood Partnership event and see a big sister take the time to help out her much younger sibling make an intricate pinwheel when she just wants to go to the next booth with more age-appropriate activities,” Williams said.
“It’s easy to feel like every homeless person must have intentionally made decisions that led to that point for them until you serve a meal at SAM25 and talk with a man whose rental increases just outpaced his cost-of-living increase for his Social Security payments each month and he couldn’t afford anywhere else around here.
“It’s easy to feel like nobody cares about the community nowadays until you’re volunteering as a Christmas bell-ringer with the Salvation Army, and you see how generous people are willing to be to support one another.”
Volunteering puts people right at the center of community and helps improve it.
Williams began as executive director of the Shawano Area United Way in August 2024. He served on the board of directors for the previous two years.
He is a veteran of the U.S. Army, holds his master of divinity degree from the United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities, and is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ.
He is passionate about the United Way and volunteering in the community.
“The hope it gives me is a brighter future for my daughter, this community and the world,” he said. “When I look back on my past four years being a part of this community, many of my favorite moments have been volunteering with local organizations, knowing I was a part of something bigger than myself and helping others.”
He acknowledges everyone’s time is precious to them, but he believes volunteering has huge rewards.
“For me, volunteering in Shawano has led to new friendships, better understandings of the community and how it functions, and has let me give back a portion of what has been given to me,” he said.
As for someone who is nervous about volunteering for the first time or making that first phone call to get more information, Williams said to just do it.
“You won’t regret it, and you’ll be greeted with some of the friendliest people in the Shawano area when they pick up,” he said. “Try it out, and if you don’t like, that’s OK. You don’t have to go again, but just try it at least once.”
To learn more, send an email to the United Way at unitedwayofshawanocounty@gmail.com.
kpasson@newmedia-wi.com
Williams: Volunteering benefits giver more than receiver
