In the Press

Transcript of article:

The Quiet Power of Giving

The Mental, Physical, and Social Rewards of Giving Back

By Michael Judd

When I moved to Kingston about eight years ago, I didn't anticipate the way this community would reshape my understanding of what it means to serve and be served. Volunteering has not only connected me to causes and people I care about... it has helped me heal, find purpose, and realize that doing something meaningful need not require fanfare or funding. Sometimes, it’s the quiet act of showing up that changes lives, including your own.

It’s been an honour to contribute across a wide range of areas over the years... from accessible housing and alleyway cleanups, to sailing programs for people with visual impairments, to community health, food security, and mental health support. Most recently, I helped coordinate the delivery of over $300,000 worth of food and essential goods to our region in partnership with Barilla Pasta and several other organizations. One shipment alone brought over $200,000 worth of goods to Feed Ontario, which were then distributed widely throughout our province. Other loads came directly to Kingston food banks with the support of community-minded trucking companies who donated their time and services to make it happen.

These efforts are far from unique. Across Kingston, thousands of people step up every day in their own quiet ways... checking in on a neighbour, mentoring youth, coaching kids’ teams, organizing food drives, serving on committees, or working behind the scenes to improve systems and services. This spirit of contribution is not just the backbone of our nonprofits... it’s the unseen scaffolding of our entire community.

We sometimes frame volunteerism as a kind of giving with nothing in return, but perhaps that’s the wrong lens. The return is often immense. It’s social, emotional, even spiritual. Study after study has shown what many of us already know deep down: helping others improves mental health, eases depression and isolation, builds resilience, and contributes to longer life expectancy. It reconnects us to each other at a time when division and loneliness are on the rise.

It also empowers people. Years ago, while recovering from an injury that forced early retirement, I lost not just income, but a sense of usefulness. Small acts—delivering for food banks, organizing neighbourhood cleanups, launching a local photo contest in Rideau Heights... led to larger opportunities. One thing led to another, and today I serve on several boards and health committees across the region. The impact has stemmed from simply saying “yes” when help is needed.

Kingston is fortunate to be filled with people who say “yes.” But we also need to do more to nurture that instinct... especially in our youth. Young people benefit tremendously from volunteering. It teaches empathy, fosters leadership, and creates vital social connections at a formative time. Civic engagement should be encouraged not just as an obligation, but as a path to personal growth and opportunity.

If we want to build stronger communities, we must recognize that volunteers aren’t just helping... they’re investing in something. They’re building social capital, health equity, neighbourhood trust. They’re laying the groundwork for a better future. But none of that happens without support, recognition, and invitation.

So here’s an invitation: if you’ve been on the sidelines, consider stepping in. Even an hour a week can make a difference. Find a cause that resonates. Or simply look around your street. Kindness, consistency, and care ripple outward.

And to the many people who already serve quietly: thank you. You are not just making Kingston better. You are making yourself better too. That’s the quiet power of giving.

Environment:

Four years after I moved to Kingston, I noticed a large, abandoned sailboat sitting near Doug Fluhrer Park, and every year it sat there, it became more of a hazard, leaking diesel, coolant, and cleaning fluids into the harbour. As a former marine surveyor of 25 years, I knew exactly what that kind of contamination could do, so I spent a full year lobbying every level of government, my MP, the City, and the Coast Guard, to take ownership and get it removed. That boat finally came out of the water in November 2022, and at the time, another abandoned boat near the Belle Park and Belle Island bridge was already causing the same kind of concern.

Global News covered the story, and one thing I told them still sums it up: "I saw it as a real danger." Read the full article from Global News here: Kingston, Ont. man lobbying for removal of derelict boats - Kingston | Globalnews.ca 

The Belle Island boat became a story of its own, covered separately by CKWS Global News, a different reporter and crew going out to the site in the middle of a rain and sleet storm to get the footage. [Short paragraph on what happened with that boat, once details are added, quote if there's a good one, link to the segment]

Two boats, two separate Global News stories, and the same experience each time: pushing the same rope up a different governance hill.