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 If you are reading this message, then I want to thank you for your generosity and concern for Cunningham children and youth. And I have good news for you: generosity is good for your health.
I recently attended a conference for chaplains who work with children and youth at agencies like Cunningham Children's Home.Dr. Steven Post of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine spoke to us about his research on unlimited love, altruism, compassion and service. It was interesting to have someone from the scientific community tell pastors how spiritual elements improve health.
According to Dr. Post, the scientific link between helping behavior and health seems to be growing stronger. Scientific research methods have shown that unforgiving thoughts cause people to have higher heart rates and blood pressure. Other studies conclude that people who don’t volunteer have more depression, anxiety, and insomnia than those involved in helping activities.
On the other hand, being involved in helping behaviors helps diminish depression rates in adolescents. And, those who take twenty minutes a week to list things for which they are grateful become less depressed.
Dr. Post predicts that generous behaviors may eventually be taught in schools and workplaces as an aspect of mental and physical health. He challenged us to consider the findings that indicate that giving help is more significantly associated with better mental health than is receiving help.
It seems to me that the staff at Cunningham have witnessed this truth many times in the past, most recently in the buoyant spirit the youth exhibited during their participation in hurricane relief efforts. While it’s true the youth need the help our trained staff offer them, the opportunities we give them to be of help to others may be even more significant for their mental and physical health than we may have realized.
Encouraging generosity among our children and youth is part of the developmental philosophy of the Circle of Courage, which we have applied across our programs for over a decade.
Thank you for sharing your generous spirit with the children and youth at Cunningham Children’s Home. May God continue to bless you.
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