“Specials Occasions” Thanksgiving meal is a very rewarding experience. It’s held on Thanksgiving Day and provides breakfast and lunch for anyone who wishes to attend. We serve a meal to those who may not have a place to go for Thanksgiving, or for those who just want to spend time with people who welcome everyone and treat everyone who attends like family. My role in this event is to help out in anyway needed. I help to deliver many meals to the apartments nearby. This experience is really rewarding, just to see how appreciative the people are when you deliver their meals, and just knowing you helped to make someone’s day a little brighter. By volunteering here for three years, I have gotten to know the people who volunteer there, and see how much of a difference they make in people’s lives, and I continue to be thankful for everything I have in life.
The Homework Help Center at my church was more than just a place for kids to go for help with homework or projects. During my time volunteering here I got to know the kids Ariana, Gina, and Bethani, who attended regularly. I volunteered here every Thursday for four months. The goals of the Homework Help Center were to create a place for kids to go for help with any type of school work they may have, or just to have a place to go after school to spend time and talk to others. It was very rewarding to see the girls bring back projects that I helped them with and see that they got a good grade on it. From my experience there, I learned that it was more than just about helping with homework. It was about listening to them speak of their home lives, their struggles and their joys. In this sense, they truly taught me a few things. I think everyone needs to feel that someone is listening to them, that their lives matter. Our Homework Help Center ended when the school developed their own program after school, or I would probably still be helping out.
The Ashley and Erika Foundation is an organization dedicated to two of my friends, victims of a drunk driver, who passed away in August of 2005. This organization was created in their memory and provides a scholarship every year to two students in my high school. The foundation has also helped many individuals and families in need of the Midd-West School District in the name of Ashley Bender and Erika Mattern. Through these gifts of love, their names will live on. An upcoming event I will be volunteering my time at is Ashley and Erika Cash Bingo, which will raise money for the foundation. I also attend the annual DUI Walk in Harrisburg PA. This walk raises awareness of drunk driving and many people go to support Ashley and Erika, and their families.
Finally, I think of my time in New Orleans for the Lutheran National Youth Gathering. In addition to volunteering, I listened to speaker Craig Kielburger, founder of “Free the Children,” who stopped reading the newspaper because he was tired of reading the dismal headlines. While speaking with Bishop Desmond Tutu, he mentioned how he had stopped reading the newspaper and was surprised by Desmond Tutu’s response. He said: “College Boy – What are they teaching you in school? You’re looking at the world completely the wrong way. I look at the newspaper everyday as God’s To-Do List delivered each morning to my front door.” He went on to describe how the newspaper is conveniently divided into sections, so if you want to help with local issues you can, or you can help impact change nationally or even globally simply by turning the page. I try to live my life that way, to look for opportunities to make a difference. It doesn’t have to be something grand. It can be something as simple as a kind word or a smile. I may never know of the impact I’ve had on others, but I need to keep trying to make a difference in the world.
2 comments:
What a great essay - good luck!
She did such a great job on the essay. I am sure she will do just fine.
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