Think the Holidays Are Too Commercial? Read This

volunteering in America

Do you ever feel overwhelmed by the materialism of the holidays?

If so, you’re not alone.

Amidst the endless advertisements and shopping trips, it can sometimes seem like we’ve forgotten the true meaning of the season.

There is, however, reason to believe that the spirit of giving is still alive and well in the United States. According to a recent infographic from The Corporation for National & Community Service, 62.6 million Americans volunteered over 7.7 billion hours of their time in 2014.

The estimated value of all those volunteer hours? $173 billion. Couple that with the fact that a whopping 95.8% of American households give to charity, and we have some figures we can be proud of.

Since our founding, the United States has had a strong culture of volunteerism and philanthropy — especially during the holiday season. Materialism is not the only thing we’re about.

Though Discover Corp’s focus is on traveling abroad to volunteer, where do you think that passion comes from? Right here at home.

We’ve been inspired by things like the Peace Corps, Americorps, Alternative Spring Break, food drives, and charity races — all of which are deeply ingrained into America’s culture of volunteering.

By leading volunteer vacations, we are taking that generous spirit to the next level and helping you spread your love to all corners of the world.

So the next time you turn on the TV and worry the holidays have become too commercial, go lend a hand in your local community. You’ll happily see that the giving spirit is still thriving here in the United States.

As a country, we have not lost focus of what’s really important — which is a big reason to celebrate this holiday season.

Have you done any volunteering this holiday season?


2 responses to “Think the Holidays Are Too Commercial? Read This

  1. Hi Robin! Are you asking about volunteering opportunities in Berkeley? We only run international volunteer vacations, but I’m sure you could find some great opportunities through VolunteerMatch.com. Let us know if you’d like to learn about volunteering abroad!

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