In 2025 I Resolve To...

By: Iris Klein

This New Year I’m resolving to stay engaged, meet new people, and try new ways to become an active part of my community. Rather than feeling a sense of hopelessness and disappointment, I am determined to find purpose through positive interactions with other human beings. If you feel the same need, here are some ideas for making your new year’s resolution on a reality:

FUNDRAISING AND COMMUNITY SERVICE –

Once we do not see advocacy for oppressed groups as our responsibility, helping organizations work to address the needs of others is both purposeful and rewarding. I recently learned that one of my nieces is volunteering to work with the Make-A-Wish Foundation. She is a retired social worker and felt her skills could be useful. Small heroes with skills to share are finding all kinds of ways to serve the needs of others and meet new people along the way.

Consider volunteering at a local food bank, or lending a hand at a senior center or local animal shelter. Consider volunteering to read to children at a local library, primary school, or pediatric ward. When it comes to volunteerism, age is not a factor. A local New Jersey high school student decided to help supply food to a needy community through a Go-Fund-Me effort. Gathering support from interested friends, this student purchased, packaged, and delivered supplies of food to grateful families in her community. When it comes to fundraising and community service, it is the giver who receives the greatest reward.

JOIN A CLUB –

Clubs attract people who share a common interest. Consider a book club, painting club, or a local chapter of a national group like the Sierra Club. Members of a club develop a sense of community around intellectual, creative, or environmental concerns. Clubs can work with community organizations for a common goal. You can even start a club of your own. Many years ago I started a Poetry Club that met in my local library.

We wrote, shared, and copied each other’s work. Every couple of months we would do a reading at a local senior center. The members of my group were from a variety of interesting backgrounds. None were professional writers, but we shared an interest that brought us together for many very enjoyable evenings.

JOIN THE LEAGUE OF WOMAN VOTERS –

As a national organization, the League of Woman Voters supports issues of social justice, environmental justice, racial justice, and criminal justice. I belong to the League of Women Voters of the Greater New Brunswick Area. I was drawn to the League because it is non-partisan, but not non-political. The League supports many of the issues and concerns that are important to me and works in partnership with many non-profit organizations to support legislation for voting rights, civil rights, women’s rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and gun safety legislation.

The friends I have made are interesting, creative, and welcoming. They bring skills from many different fields of work. We share support for a strong democracy, a sense of decency and fairness toward all people, a commitment to civic education, and the protection of the vote. As a group, we get together for both fun and purpose.

Consider joining us as we work to register voters, and inform the public about elections, the latest legislation, and concerns that shape the political landscape on issues you care most about. Our members include women and men, as well as students over the age of sixteen. CONTACT US AT: lwvnjgnba@gmail.com