Sunday, Jan. 01, 2012

Volunteer

It may be a new year, but there are still old problems in the world. To start out on the right foot, you may resolve to lend a helping hand. You can help build a house, care for an animal, distribute food to the hungry, tutor a student. Volunteering could be the resolution that keeps on giving — to yourself and to others.

But even the most compassionate among us can fall back on our commitments. Finding time all too often proves harder than finding money, and many would-be volunteers will probably end up writing checks instead. You might want to rephrase this resolution to include the broader "help others."