During a volunteer shift at a local camp for autistic children, I was confronted with a problem that is all too familiar to most charity organizations: a shortage of volunteers. With very few volunteers that shift, we were struggling to keep up with the dozens of kids attending the camp. Having witnessed the giving hearts of the people in the community on many occasions before, I was surprised at the lack of volunteers. There seemed to be some disconnect in this picture, something gone wrong. I decided then and there to do something about this disconnect, to break this pattern – my plan was to make the connections between the group of willing hearts and the group of charitable organizations in the community.
Since that day, I have been in constant contact with organizations around the city – charities, elementary schools, international organizations – that are in need of volunteers. I became a volunteer for the volunteers, taking the time to perform a critical task often overlooked. For each organization, I determine how many volunteers it needs, and try to find as many willing volunteers as I can to help.
After realizing how much I could help the community, and working with people for several weeks, I decided to run for an officer position in my school’s National Honor Society. As an officer, I could communicate with hundreds of volunteers across the school, and give them opportunities to work with the local community. A 600 member organization, my school’s National Honor Society presented me with an opportunity to better help the community.
My efforts were met with tremendous success – I have worked with more than fifteen different organizations, coordinated over a thousand volunteers, and organized over 4000 man hours of community service in just the last year. My efforts have reached out to organizations such as Heroes for Children, Habitat for Humanity, Texas Cares, and UNICEF, and almost a dozen schools around the city. I have spent more than 120 hours in just the past year working on this task, and have established a reputation as a dependable source of volunteers, often receiving emails from different organizations asking for dozens of volunteers on short notice. I remember receiving an email at 1:00 in the afternoon from the sponsor of an elementary school literacy event, asking for five volunteers that evening at 6:00. Alarmed at how little time I was given, I quickly began finding people during school, and managed to secure four volunteers for that evening. The sponsor was pleasantly surprised, and just knowing that I helped her and the literacy event was a tremendous feeling.
Whether through email, telephone calls, or bulletin posts, I have been able to communicate with hundreds of volunteers. Though time consuming, I know that the amount of work I put in results in an even greater benefit to the community. For every hour that I put in to finding volunteers, the community has received more than thirty hours of community service!
Looking back upon that day at the camp, I realize that it changed my life in more ways than one. I found a valuable role I could play in my community - not the only role I wished to play, though. I enjoy the feeling of working directly with people, and seeing the results of my efforts firsthand. I spent that week of my summer volunteering at a camp for autistic children because I just wanted to see a smile on each of the kid’s faces. I wanted them to know that people will always be there for them, willing to help them through their troubles. These kids changed my life. Their smiles and laughs were all the thanks I needed and wanted for my efforts. They showed me the true power of volunteering in the community.
They encouraged me, with their smiles, to go out and help the community in other ways too. Since that week, I have spent dozens of hours working directly with the community as well. My work has been spread out amongst different organizations in the community, because I know that each and every one of these has a great purpose. I spent five hours planting trees with a group of friends because the environment means something to me. Just as I am conscious of my community, I am conscious of my surroundings and environment, and am willing to put in the time to make it better. I spent six hours volunteering as a juror on the Plano Teen Court because discipline means something to me. I believe in the goal of Plano Teen Court, which seeks to help teenagers move on from bad decisions to better lives. I spent time volunteering at elementary school fundraising events because those kids mean something to me. Every single one of them has a bright future ahead of them, and I wanted to play a part in raising them to success.
Some things, though, go beyond the typical notions of ‘community service.’ For the past four years, I have spent almost an hour daily tutoring different people in school subjects. Whether it is my friends, my family, or even kids in middle school who just need a helping hand, I take time out of each day to tutor them. Just like the elementary kids, each of these students has a bright future ahead of them, and deserves all of the help they can get. I spent thirty hours of my ninth grade summer tutoring someone in algebra. I did not ask for any compensation because I had a genuine interest in the success of this seventh grade boy. Whether it is physics or English, Calculus or history, I never refuse a plea for help, and often find myself offering my help to people who may need it.
As I move on to college, I know this desire to help the community will continue to stay firm. Even with all the time school and extracurricular activities take (like marching band), I have found time to help because it is my duty as a member of the community. From planting trees to tutoring to finding hundreds of volunteers, I have spent countless hours helping better the worldaround me. Through my efforts, I have found where my heart truly lies.
