b'Doing Good For Others VOLUNTEERING IMPROVES HEALTHMarji HofmanWe know thatstaying activeI was drawn to JVCs VolunTeams,co-founded Saba-Ba! is important at every age to keep ourwhich brings people together thatGrandparent Connectors bodies healthy and improve our overallwouldnt necessarily have otherwise beenProgram at CJE.well-being. While physical activity isconnected, explains Martin.associated with good health, it is not theMartin was first introduced to JVC only way to help you feel and look better.through a neighborhood volunteer projectto me, one of the most powerful tenets of According to Dr. Drew Pate, chief of making blessing bags for the homeless.what we should live by, says Dr. Pate. psychiatry at LifeBridge Health, to lookOften, when you have a very tightBaltimore native and retiree Margi better and live better, we need to considercommunity, volunteering stays withinHoffman sits on the board at the Macks our mental and emotional health.the existing connections that you alreadyCenter for Jewish Education (CJE) and is Dr. Pate explains that one of the mosthave. Under JVCs model, I found athe co-founding member of CJEs Saba-Ba! sustaining things in life is to have a senseconnection with people I didnt know,Grandparent Connectors program. of purpose. Feeling a part of somethingbecause we were all coming together toThe goal was to bring grandparents bigger than yourself is what gets usdo good for others and our community.and grandchildren together through fun through adversity, difficult times and stress. Martin also found that volunteeringand meaningful activities, she says.I think volunteering, as much aswith his children provided theOne of our more popular programs anything, sort of gives us that sense ofopportunity to teach the value of helpingwas making soup kits to help families and purposeso that we feel good about notpeople and communities in need. only what we do, but the imprint and thePrior to the pandemic shutdowns, Feeling a part of effect that we have on other folks aroundI participated with my family three or something bigger getsus, he says.four times in JVCs Playdate Together, us through adversity.Studies back that up. They find thatwhich is geared towards families withDR. DREW PATE, CHIEF OF PSYCHIATRY, volunteering improves health by buildingyoung children. We visited residents atLIFEBRIDGE HEALTHcommunity and social connection.senior facilities. We did arts and crafts Jewish Volunteer Connections (JVC)together. Sang together. Danced together.individuals in need. We dropped them Board Member Aaron Martin couldntIt was a win-win for all involved, he says. off at JVC for distribution throughout agree more.Dr. Pate also sees volunteering as Baltimore City. What I love most about an antidote to loneliness at any age.this is it enables grandparents to not only LifeBridges Dr. Drew Pate says volunteering isHelping others, he explains, is a great wayinteract with their grandchildren, but also good for ones health. to meet people, exercise your brain, learnteach them how to do a mitzvahdo a new task or skill set and provide greatergood for other people. meaning to your life.My role as a volunteer, and of course The older we get, we sometimes fearas a grandparent, provides obvious a loss of our ability to pass on to othershealth benefits for me, as someone in my our knowledge, wisdom and experiences.seventies. When you move around, use Volunteering, I think, sort of puts in frontyour brain and put yourself out there,of you the opportunity to share andit feels good. apply some of the things youve learned throughout your career and reinforces, To volunteer, go to associated.org/volunteer.'