Everyone has personal goals and ambitions. Whether it be materialistic goals like owning a bigger house or physical goals like losing those stubborn extra pounds of weight that you put on during the holidays, everyone has a particular set of goals that they live by and feel will make their lives better. While personal ambitions are great and can bring instant gratification, it usually pales in comparison to the rewarding satisfaction one feels during the humble act of community service.
As the beloved Hollywood actress and renowned humanitarian Audrey Hepburn once said, “ You have two hands. One to help yourself and the other to help others.”
Besides feeling the instant satisfaction of making an integral difference in someone’s life or in a community, a growing body of research from the past two decades indicates that volunteering provides individual health benefits as well. Research from the Corporation of National & Community Service has established a strong correlation between volunteering and health: those who volunteer have lower mortality rates, greater functional ability, and lower rates of depression later in life than those who do not volunteer.
As a result, the city of Newport Beach, Ca. is hosting its first ever Women in Newport Networking (WiNN) forum, designed specifically to encourage more Newport Beach women to serve as leaders, in local civic and community groups. The forum, which was developed by Mayor Diane Dixon and other city council members, will take place on February 25 from 5:30p.m. – 7:30p.m. at the Civic Center Community Room.
Officials from the city and local, nonprofit organizations will provide information at the forum pertaining to their volunteer groups and needs. There will also be a brief panel discussion featuring current and former community leaders and plenty of time for participants to talk to the panelists and other community volunteers.
The forum is free and open to the public. Those planning to attend must RSVP to https://apps.newportbeachca.gov/events/winn. – Alejandro Reynoso, ENC Communications Intern