Martin Luther King once said, “Everybody can be great… because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve.” As teenagers, we have time on our hands. Some of us aimlessly hang out at the mall; others sit in front of the computer for hours, mesmerized by the meaningless numbers skittering around the screen. Just imagine the impact we can make if more of us would give up an hour or two a week to do community service!
Education makes information accessible to me. My parents have given me love and have taught me respect. However, it is community service that has allowed me to consolidate everything I have learned and put it into practice. It has molded me into what I have become. It continues to mold me into what I will be. That’s why community service is important to me. By giving me a chance to experience the joy of giving, the opportunity to serve has shaped me into a caring person. On the practical side, it has taught me to plan and execute my projects, solving problems as they pop up. Also of great importance is that community service has moved me to take further action. It has facilitated the inception of Youth Connecting All and Youth Reaching Out – organizations that will continue to help others.
As the urgency of the economic downturn hits home, images of poverty haunt my mind daily. As a teenager who can fill his growling stomach when hungry and rest his weary body on a comfortable bed at nightfall, I recognize the responsibility of doing my best to help those in need.
Scenario 1: Every day when I look around me, I see people in need. At the off-ramp from a freeway, I see a lean, hungry-looking man holding a sign that says, “Can you spare a buck?” In the park where I practice tennis, I see a homeless old woman pushing all her worldly belongings in a grocery cart.
My reaction: I certainly can try to fundraise for an organization such as Food Bank, which is doing a great job in feeding the hungry. Although I cannot make the problem of hunger go away, I can make a difference with every dollar I raise.
Another social problem I notice is that many young people do not appreciate the elderly and are impatient with them.
Scenario 2: At the drugstore, I see a young cashier tapping her fingers and rolling her eyes impatiently as the silver-haired lady searches through her coin purse with trembling hands, trying to reach the elusive penny so as to avoid getting back a handful of clanging pennies, nickels and dimes in change. The young lady behind the counter knits her brow in disgust.
My reaction: I should put into practice what my Chinese culture teaches me – to respect and care for the elderly. I certainly can teach other young people to respect the elderly by my examples. In my Hum-N-Play project, I learn songs from the past decades so that I can connect with the elderly. I learn their music and play their songs to make sure my performance is entertaining to them.
Catering my music to my listeners is top priority. My dad used to beg me to play something “light” on the piano rather than practice the week’s sonata, which would usually lull him to sleep. My mom would make her requests by stringing out names of songs from the 60s, 70s and 80s. There was no way I could remember “Try to Remember” because I had never heard it before. Then an idea struck me like a lightning bolt! “If you can hum it, I can play it,” I told my mom. She beamed and immediately started humming her favorite tunes into my ears.... This was the beginning of my career as an amateur entertainer.
When I started my two projects in August 2009, my goals were clear and simple: to enhance the lives of the elderly by entertaining them with songs they like and to help Food Bank raise money to feed the hungry. I had no trouble reaching my goals. By December, four months afterwards, I had already raised over $3000, and I had gained a stronghold at Waters Edge Lodge. The senior residents now look forward to my weekly performance. However, it is through the process of implementation that I have accomplished much more because of the lessons I learn every week.
Unexpected outcomes came in a domino effect. I thought I was enriching the lives of the people I served – plain and simple. Instead, I have found there are many unforeseen beneficiaries. Family and friends support my projects with donations as well as participation, especially after CBS aired the story of my projects on “Martin Luther King Day of Service” (January 18, 2010). Some ask if they can bring their children to watch the activity. Others volunteer to give a donation. Perhaps the most treasured bonus is that my own family is guaranteed an hour and a half of quality time every week through the community service we perform together. My brothers Spencer and Justin, 12-year-old twins, are learning to serve by entertaining the seniors when I take my break. They prepare a piano and violin duet every week for performance. On special occasions such as Christmas, Chinese New Year and Valentine’s Day, I invited friends to help me make special favors and souvenirs for our audience. Thus, on a small scale, I have started a positive cycle of events, which I hope will turn into a movement for change.
Personally I have developed social skills by interacting with my audience. In a modest way, I have also helped to close the generation gap. One day a senior friend asked me, “What kind of music do teenagers listen to these days?” I promised I would share some of my music with her. Now the challenge is to find some songs that are not too intimidating from my iPod to share with my senior friends. I will make sure not to include the kind that will increase their heart rate.
The people skills and the practical experiences I have acquired cannot be learned in books or lectures. On the other hand, the skills I have learned in school have helped me run my projects smoothly. My organization skills prompted me to prepare a filing box for the lyrics when there were only twenty songs. Can you imagine what it would be like to have over 100 sets of lyrics and no filing system? My communication skills acquired in my English classes came in handy when I was writing my emails and appeal letters to potential donors. Another important lesson I have learned is the importance of teamwork. As a leader, I have learned to delegate responsibilities. Although I believe one person can make a difference, without the help of others, my ability has limitations. My life will never be the same again because of the community service projects I have started.
My fundraiser has passed the $5,000 milestone, and I am targeting $6000 by the end of the school year. When I first started, no one, including myself, would have believed that I could raise so much money during these hard times. I discovered the secret of the joy of giving, and it is contagious! People are willing to help because I willingly give of my time to serve others without asking for anything in return. People around me can sense my enthusiasm, and they flock around to help. Success breeds success. The Do Something Growth Grant of $500 recently awarded to me will help me recruit other teenagers to do community service.
Undoubtedly, my weekly performance has confirmed that I still have a lot to learn, and that teaches me humility. I have learned that the people of the world have the same kindness in their hearts, but, most of the time, they just need a little push before taking action. Through an article about my projects published in the e-newsletter of Kodak Gallery in March, a donation check came all the way from Texas. Since last August, donations have come from as far away as Hong Kong, Toronto, New York and Kansas. Now I am not shy about asking for donations anymore. And more often than not, people respond to a good cause with a “YES.” My supporters of the projects have commented on the creativity of my fundraiser. By using my Hum-N-Play project as a springboard to my fundraiser, I have been able to touch the hearts of donors, who are very generous in giving to Food Bank. The joy of giving is catching. I hope my enthusiasm will catch on like wildfire. I now realize what Martin Luther King meant when he talked about giving service. At 14, I too can be great because I can serve.
