It’s almost time to say goodbye to 2023. Typically, the New Year is the time to think about making changes and setting goals.
Our goals tend to focus on our own needs and wants. There’s nothing wrong with that, but as we plan to save money and lose weight, we might also take a moment to consider how to pour back into our community and lift up our neighbors.
Setting goals to help ourselves is the first impulse when we think about the future. Surveys reveal that respondents’ New Year’s ambitions included saving money, exercising more, eating healthier, losing weight and reducing stress.
The website Life Hack offers no fewer than 50 suggestions for New Year’s resolutions; Parade and Good Housekeeping boast 55 and 65 ideas, respectively.
After the novelty of a new year wears off (and our good intentions have been mostly forgotten), we will do well if we’ve kept one or two of our resolutions. The best bet is probably to keep it simple, and to consider what will have the most impact.
Growing our savings and slimming our waistlines will be meaningful for us, but it can be just as meaningful, if not more so, to do something that will improve the lives of others. In that spirit, here’s a short list of volunteer opportunities you can embrace right here in Portsmouth.
Volunteer opportunities abound
- Sail with the Gundalow Company. If you enjoy sailing, history, ecology and meeting new people, this is the perfect opportunity for you! As a deckhand, you’ll help sail Portsmouth’s own tall ship, Piscataqua, a replica of a 19th century gundalow. Gundalows were flat-bottomed barges that locals used for centuries. You’ll have the opportunity to share your passion for the seacoast region and support a non-profit that stewards the river and its history. No previous sailing experience is required. Visit The Gundalow Company.
- Share your business knowledge with aspiring entrepreneurs by serving as a business mentor through SCORE Seacoast. SCORE’s mission is “to foster vibrant small business communities through mentoring and education.” Visit SCORE Seacoast.
- Serve people affected by sexual and domestic violence at HAVEN. HAVEN promotes public health through violence prevention and improving the well-being of children and families. Volunteers serve in various capacities, including answering phones on the 24-hour hotline and accompanying survivors to the hospital or police station. Training is provided. See Haven
- Be a Client Assistant with Operation Blessing. Greet clients, assist them through appointments and build relationships with them. You can also help with donations or sort clothing. Operation Blessing serves those struggling with housing and hunger. Please see Operation Blessing
- Become a docent or greeter at a historic house. I volunteer at the John Paul Jones House and the Portsmouth Historical Society, and I love it. If you appreciate the art, architecture and personalities of historic Portsmouth, check out volunteer opportunities at one of our historic houses. If you have the time, you might inquire with Historic New England about a paid position as a seasonal docent at one of their properties. Strawberry Banke is always looking for volunteers to fill a number of positions. See: Historic New England
● Portsmouth Historical Society (which manages the John Paul Jones House): Portsmouth Historical Society
● Strawbery Banke: Strawbery Banke
● Warner House: Warner House
This is just a short list of some ways you could support the community this year. It could go on to include volunteering at the hospital or for the Red Cross; serving as a Big Brother or Big Sister; helping people prepare their taxes through AARP; or organizing fundraisers for causes important to you.
The best way to improve yourself, your well-being and your outlook on life might be to share your time and talents. Resolve to make a difference!
