Small Ways To Make A Big Impact In Your Community

Do you love your city? Like really love it? Do you ever just step outside, take a deep breath and exhale a sigh of joy as you take in all the wonderful things your city has to offer? I hope you do. We are from Springfield, Ohio and we love our city. Between the architecture of our beautiful downtown, our many amazing parks, and all the wonderful events our city hosts throughout the year, what's not to love? If you love your city as much as we love ours, keep reading. In this blog we will cover various ways you can make a difference in your community. 

Get Involved.

The first thing you can do to make a difference is to just get involved! Make sure to participate in as many local events as you can. Many cities have various resources that can direct you towards events. Does your city have a Welcome Center? These are always full of pamphlets containing information on what the city has to offer. From annual events, to neat local attractions, Welcome Centers are oftentimes one-stop-shops for more information about your city than you could possibly imagine. Check online for events near you. Social media is a great resource to find local events these days. Find out if your city has any social media accounts you can follow and if there is a website or local news source that posts a schedule of events in your area. Showing up to events makes the people who host the events feel like all of their efforts have paid off and will encourage them to go even bigger with the next event they plan.

This one may sound like a no-brainer but having the right people volunteering for the right thing can make a huge difference throughout a city. Maybe you want to volunteer but don’t know where to start. A good starting point would be to call and check with your local parks departments to see if you can volunteer your time in any way. From helping out at events, being a receptionist, cleaning up litter from the ground, parks departments often times rely heavily on volunteers to stay in motion. Not the outdoorsy type? Try contacting your local Chamber of Commerce and they may be able to help you find ways you can volunteer around your city.

Shop Local.

We say it all the time, but it’s really important to shop local when you can. Support small businesses instead of big chain retailers so that they can help provide for their families and keep money local. Keeping money local allows the city to make much needed changes and updates to your community. These local businesses can (and oftentimes) also provide jobs to people who live there and are often friendlier and much more knowledgeable than chain retailers because it is their expertise. There are tons of reasons you should shop local and we hope we have convinced you of the importance. We even wrote a whole blog about it which you can read here. Oh, and if you do shop locally, leave those businesses a review on Google or social media. People will see it and follow suite.

Keep Clean.

It seems like everywhere we go, there’s always a trail of litter somewhere near. You wouldn’t think one piece of garbage is harmful, but if you had just one piece in every city across the country, you’d have almost 20,000 pieces of trash lying around. This trash ends up in places like our waterways and that could be detrimental to life there.

Just by making sure you dispose of your own waste properly (preferably recycling where you can and at least hitting the trash can when you can not) will help keep your city clean and beautiful.

We are fortunate enough to have an incredibly beautiful bike path system that basically runs right through the heart of our city. We love to take rides on our bicycles as often as we can when the weather and our busy schedules permit. During our bike rides, we started collecting the trash we found both from on the bike path and from in the waterways. We are up to eleven bags this year so far and that’s honestly mind-blowing. We as humans need to do better to make sure we’re taking care of our planet. Next year, we’d like to organize group rides where we pick up trash to see how much of an impact we can all make together.

Be Kind.

This one really should go without saying but unfortunately it still needs to be said. There is so much negativity in the world already and all it is doing is contributing to unhappiness. It really is true what they say

One of our goals in life is to be so kind that people can’t help but feel better when speaking to us. We always do our best to go above and beyond for everyone we can because that’s what we feel is right.

Donate.

Food, clothing, and household item donations are very important and necessary in communities. If you donate your old clothing to shelters or other organizations who collect used clothing, you’re not only freeing up space in your closet, but you’re also allowing others to have them for free.

In many communities such as where we live, there are many “little free libraries” which are typically boxes where you can donate books. People are able to take what they need and add more if they can. They even make these for food and seeds in some places as well! If you have more than you need, please considering donating to people who may not.

Vote.

Voting is a crucial step in making an impact in your community. Your vote is important in bettering your community and the choices you make will directly affect your day-to-day life. If you want change in your community, you need to be active and informed enough to make the best decisions when you get out and vote.

Although it may seem hard to believe, your opinion really is important and you deserve it to be heard. Make sure you make your opinion heard by casting your vote this election on November 8th. If you’re an Ohio resident and need some more information about voting, please click here.

You as an individual are capable of making a huge difference in your community in many different ways. From voting to donating your time, you can make an impact on the world around you and we hope this blog has given you ideas on how you can help your own community!

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