Author: Dana Lea, Volunteer
Volunteering is a gift, which any of us is able to lend to those in need. Whether it’s tutoring students with their homework, showing a newly arrived refugee family how to navigate their new community, fostering a child fleeing war or persecution, or facilitating Youth Haven Camps, you can make an impact with LSS/NCA. By serving others, we receive, as well. Your gift of time and talents becomes a gift you gain by following a child or family on their journey to success in the U.S., cultural exchange, and becoming a part of their new American story.
Not inspired to serve yet? These quotes remind us why we serve under the mission of Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area. Please feel free to adopt and share your favorite.
- “Service is the rent we pay for being. It is the very purpose of life, and not something you do in your spare time.” Marian Wright Edelman, American activist for the rights of children, author, and President and founder of the Children’s Defense Fund
- “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, Indian activist who was the leader of the Indian independence movement against British rule
- “The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the grandest intention.” Oscar Wilde, Irish poet and playwright
- “If our hopes of building a better and safer world are to become more than wishful thinking, we will need the engagement of volunteers more than ever.” Kofi Annan, Secretary-General of the United Nations (1997 to 2006)
- “As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands — one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.” Sam Levenson, American humorist, writer, teacher, television host, and journalist, from In One Era & Out the Other
- “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’” Martin Luther King Jr., American Baptist minister and activist, said to an audience in Montgomery, Alabama in 1957
- “Volunteers do not necessarily have the time; they just have the heart.” Elizabeth Andrew, Australian politician
- “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” Seuss, spoken by the Once-ler in the book The Lorax, Theodor Seuss “Ted” Geisel was a German-American author, political cartoonist, poet, animator, book publisher, and artist
- “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Maya Angelou, American poet, memoirist, and civil rights activist
- “But you know, happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.” K. Rowling, writer, spoken by Professor Dumbledore in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Ready to donate your time and talents to better your community and make an impact? LSS/NCA has plenty of volunteer opportunities on the front lines of service throughout Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia. One is sure to be a fit for you and those in need.
Become an LSS/NCA Volunteer:
- Fill out our volunteer application.
- Our staff will contact you to answer questions and gauge your interests.
- You will undergo a background check to insure safe spaces within our community and for our families.
- Log into your volunteer portal to view available opportunities; and log your hours throughout your volunteer experience.
Serve Boldly 