Community service is not something that is talked about enough.
There are various activities in our community where people can volunteer and make a difference. It can be a task as simple as taking time to clean a park or picking up trash from different roads. People can also volunteer in soup kitchens, retirement homes, or even at hospitals and churches.
Recently, my friend and I went to the Primrose Retirement Community to paint with their residents.
We are in a group called the National Honors Society (NHS) and had to come up with an individual service project that would benefit the people in our community.
We were hesitant to start our project because the planning process took a longer time than we had expected, but the activities director and all of the Primrose staff were amazing. They eased our concerns quickly and we were able to start last week.
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Going into our first activity, we were nervous about meeting everybody, but we focused on our paintings and that helped us start our conversations. Spending time with the residents allowed us to learn about them and what they enjoy doing.
Being able to volunteer at Primrose allowed me to spend time off of my devices and gave me the chance to make someone else’s day brighter.
I’ve learned that volunteering not only helps others but can also help boost a person’s self-esteem and empathy.
While writing an English essay on community service, I came to the conclusion that it should never be mandatory to volunteer, but it can create healthy habits and lead to a happier life.
In the past, I’ve also volunteered for my church and other NHS activities. My favorite volunteering sessions were the ones I spent at the Saint Mary’s Cathedral Thrift Store.
I was able to meet other volunteers who came from different backgrounds and connect with them. We came together to help customers who needed a safe place to shop at a reasonable price. We wanted to make a difference in all of their lives.
While I volunteered there, I also learned useful skills.
I learned how to price items, how to count inventory, and how to organize shelves/racks. Volunteering at the thrift store gave me a reason to be responsible. I made friendships that helped open my eyes to the people around me.
After volunteering there for a while, I decided to stop; it was a decision I made at the moment, but one I still don’t understand. I’ll be honest and say it was probably to make more time to hang out with friends and be on my phone.
It feels like I have too much time on my hands now. There are some days I lie in bed and wish there was more for me to do that could get me away from school. I think about it and wonder about the days I spent volunteering at the thrift store.
Volunteering might not be something that I can do regularly, but it’s something that I want to go back to doing. I enjoyed being able to be a part of something greater than myself.
Now that I’ve joined NHS, I have more opportunities to volunteer. I don’t think volunteering should ever be mandatory, but I highly recommend it.
Volunteering allowed me to find pieces about myself that I never knew I had and it allowed me to help other people around me. Making a difference in our community is important now more than ever because there are people who are always in need of help.