What You Get Back From Giving Your Time 

A volunteer who's worked the front desk at one of Aster's Senior Centers for a while can usually tell you the name of the regular who always orders the same thing at the café, and the day of the week that guest tends to show up looking for someone to talk to. That's what happens when you show up consistently in a place built around people. Ask that volunteer why they keep coming back, and the answer is rarely just "to help." Somewhere in the mix of answering phones and pouring coffee, they got something out of it too.

Volunteering at Aster's Senior Centers isn't just a way to give back to older adults in your community — though it is that. It's also, according to a growing body of research, genuinely good for the volunteer. If you've been thinking about getting involved but haven't quite made the leap, here's what the research says you might be signing up for.

What the Research Shows 

Much of what we know about volunteering and older adults comes from long-running studies of Senior Corps, a national service program for people 55 and older. AARP has reported on findings from those studies showing that volunteers experienced measurable decreases in anxiety, depression, loneliness, and social isolation after their first year of service — the kind of shift that tends to show up not as a single dramatic change, but as a week that feels lighter.

That tracks with what volunteers themselves usually describe. It's less about any one benefit and more about the shape volunteering gives to a life: somewhere to be, something to do, someone who's expecting you. For a lot of people, especially after retirement, that structure is the thing that goes missing first — quietly, without anyone deciding to let it go.

There's also connection, which builds in a way that's easy to underestimate until you're in it. Regular volunteers get to know regular participants. Regular participants get to know regular volunteers. Over months and years, a Senior Center's front desk or café can become one of the more consistent social circles in a person's life — for the volunteer as much as for the person they're serving.

What Volunteering at Aster Looks Like 

You don't need any experience to get started. Aster's Senior Centers run thanks to volunteers who help with the everyday work that keeps the doors open and the atmosphere welcoming:

• Answering phones and helping callers find the right program or person.

• Greeting guests as they arrive, especially newcomers who don't yet know their way around.

• Giving tours to new participants so their first visit feels less like walking into the unknown.

• Serving coffee and conversation in the Center café — often the single most social hour of someone's day.

There's room for people who want a regular weekly shift and people who can only commit to occasional help. Both matter.

Where You'd Be Volunteering 

Aster operates two Senior Centers in Mesa, each open Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, excluding holidays:

• Aster Senior Center at Mesa Downtown — 247 North Macdonald, Mesa, AZ 85201 — 480-962-5612

• Aster Senior Center at Red Mountain — 7550 East Adobe Street, Mesa, AZ 85207 — 480-218-2221

Both Centers operate as social hubs for older adults in the East Valley, with a daily nutritionally balanced lunch, live music and movies, art and exercise classes, education and wellness programs, and bingo. Volunteers are part of what makes that daily rhythm possible. You can participate in programs, enjoy a hot nutritious meal, and still find time to give back through volunteerism. 

We asked our volunteers what mattered most to them, and here are some of their responses:

Starting Your Volunteer Journey 

If any of this sounds like something you'd want to be part of, the first step is small: fill out a brief volunteer inquiry, and a member of our team will follow up to talk through what fits your schedule and interests.

Get in touch by emailing CBS@asteraz.org or calling 480-964-9014.

You don't need to have it all figured out before you reach out. Most of our longtime volunteers didn't either.

Sources

¹ AARP. "Health Benefits of Volunteering for Seniors." aarp.org/health/healthy-living/health-benefits-volunteering-seniors.

² AARP. "25 Great Ways Volunteering Is Good for Older Adults." aarp.org/family-relationships/great-ways-to-volunteer.html.