Not-For-Profit Actions and how they Benefit Fort Collins
Think about the last time you spent two and a half hours willingly doing something. Maybe this activity was completely frivolous, but you chose to carry it out. And afterwards, you feel gratified in some way, shape, or form because you think “yeah, this is important to me!”
We as humans have an innate determination towards self-validation, but it takes a certain amount of mindfulness in order to achieve it. As often as we think about the future, thinking about the present is is a more effective form of mindfulness. It makes you stop and think, “wow this moment is positive” or “wow everything about my situation sucks, but I can change it.” This mentality enables us to focus on our decisions and to stop toiling over things we cannot control. There is something we can control though, and that is the way we spend our time. What a concept it is! We are living, breathing autonomous agents creating our own destinies!
Volunteering is one way that our destiny can be lined in 24k gold. One of the best things about proactively giving up your time is the unintended results. You may not have gone into the rescue mission, food bank, or elementary school seeking some kind of profit, but upon walking out, you may find that so much has been gained.
Fort Collins’ FoCo Cafe is a unique not-for-profit restaurant that dons a purpose in paying things forward. What sets this establishment apart from others of its kind is its mission provide for anyone that walks through the doors. If you’re a broke college kid or a struggling member of society, the Cafe is a place you can go for a meal no matter what. The register has been replaced with a donation box and the food is simply “pay-what-you-can.” If you go in without any money, they will ask for some service of your own in return for the meal. A voluntary community ideal goes into the Cafe’s mission, and this is exemplified as most of its workforce is comprised of volunteers. The food, the service, and these volunteers have successfully made FoCo Cafe into an applauded business with numerous great reviews about the superb vibes that emanate from the staff and the food.
In fact, Fort Collins is full of these vibes. The city is bustling with opportunities to be proactive. From digging your hands into the soil and helping out a farm to coaching the local football team in your free time, there is a niche for anyone to find something that suits their interests. Better yet, these opportunities are voluntary. Volunteering is a conscious choice, sure, but many never consider the plentiful benefits it has.
As Americans want to be paid for what we work. In fact, one of our leading fears as capitalists is the future and how we will be paying for it. To be fair, this is a substantive argument. Numerous social and economic stratification’s disable our ability to live a life without the constant nagging of our pocketbook. It may be a long time before Americans begin to value people and places and moments rather than their job. And yes! Work for pay is how we have been trained to idealize the future. Once again though, imagine the last time you did something you really wanted to do; now let’s give that a parameter: when was the last time you willingly did something knowing there would be no tangible “reward?”
This is volunteer work. Time is our most precious resource. Not the cash we accumulate, not the possessions we acquire, but the time we spend either working for these things, for ourselves, or for others. Research has proven that happiness is not a matter of money, but a matter of choices. Choosing to give your time to those in need or a non-profit that thrives on volunteer work is a sure way to benefit yourself, your community, and the burgeoning ideal that we are not here for money: we are here for each other.
