Serving my community is a huge part of who I am as a person. I love to give back to my community and help people around the world. I am involved in various service activities that impact my local and global community. Church and my youth group are a huge part of my life. They teach me how I should act towards others and, most importantly, teach me how to give back. I participate in several service activities throughout the year. The most meaningful ones to me include raising money for hungry children through World Vision, going on mission trips around the country to help people who are less fortunate, and being a PEER buddy in my own community.
My favorite of the community service projects I participate in is the 30 Hour …show more content…
Famine through World Vision. As part of the 30 Hour Famine my youth group and I raise money through donations and sponsors to help feed children around the world. Every day 26,500 children die due to preventable causes like hunger or malnutrition.
With the money we help raise, World Vision sends vaccines, clean water, and food to villages that are in need of health supplies. During our famine, we fast for 30 hours to get a small taste of what hungry people around the world feel like when they have no means of getting food. This service has really opened up my eyes to the poverty that happens not only to the children in Asia or Africa, but people in my own community.
Another service activity that is very meaningful to me has been participating in mission trips where I can directly help people around America. I have traveled to Bennettsville, South Carolina for the past three years on mission trips and absolutely love it. In Bennettsville I have worked on many different work sites. The most meaningful experience for me was when we helped the Williams family rebuild their kitchen. The Williams family has eight family members, 6 adults and 2 young children, living in a small house which caught on fire and completely destroyed the kitchen in their home. Because they did not have any money to repair the home, they lived with no kitchen or appliances for six months before we arrived. They had to cook in a toaster oven or on a small charcoal grill and
keep their food cold in coolers on the burnt floor. During the week we were there, we built them a completely brand new kitchen with new cabinets and appliances. Often on breaks I would play with the kids and listen to Mr. Williams tell stories of their lives. I was so fascinated to find that even though he lived a hard life and had very few luxuries, he remained positive and probably one of the most humble and peaceful people I have ever met. Throughout the week people from the low income community would stop by and give us food and drinks for helping their neighbors rebuild their home. When the kitchen was finished at the end of the week, we took all our extra food from our trip and stocked the kitchen pantry. The Williams family was so excited and overwhelmed with gratitude for everything we did for them. It was amazing to experience giving a week of my time to make such a big difference in their lives. The neighbors came together, with a group of strangers, and helped rebuild a small piece of their community. This specific experience made me realize that so many people don’t have the ability to have the simple things in life that most people take for granted every day. It is our responsibility to give of ourselves when we can to help those that are not as fortunate as we are. The following year when I returned to Bennettsville to work at another site, I made a point to go back and visit the Williams family. They welcomed me with a big smile and hug and that was the most valuable payment I could have received for my hard work.
As far as giving back to my local community, the most important service activity I participate in is being a PEER buddy in the PEER (Positive Experiences in Educational Relations) program through my high school. In the PEER program I have the privilege to be a mentor to at-risk elementary and middle school students in my own community. I am a trusted friend to my PEER buddies who look up to me as a leader and a good role model for them. I tutor them with school work, help show them right from wrong, listen to them when they need a friend, and talk to them about overcoming hardships in life that no child should have to bear. I love being part of PEER because I can directly have a positive impact on a child and see them grow through their hardships to become a better person and have a successful future.
I have learned so much about people and gratitude through volunteering. I feel very blessed that I have had the opportunity to serve in my own community and around the world in various ways. Giving back helps everyone around me, whether it is the children on the other side of the earth or the ones playing in the yard next door.