Walking to the front of the building, I could see a line that stretched from the door all the way across the street. People waited in the cool, crisp, December weather. Stepping in, I saw before me an abundance of toys and gifts donated by the community of Southern Oregon to benefit people less fortunate. The room was packed with anxious parents hoping to get their kids the perfect Christmas gifts. The gratefulness that radiated from people as their faces lit up with joy when they found a present made me feel lucky that I got the possibility to participate in an important event during the holiday season. The toy drive event could not have been successful without community involvement. The images and ideals that the word, community, conjures …show more content…
The famous quote by John Donne, says, “no man is an island,” which directly describes my belief that everyone should work together. This idea is the reason I have contributed to my community throughout my life by various volunteer projects, and is the motivation for me to take charge of an important event. I am always looking for ways to join groups in aiding my community and this year, I wanted to push myself to run my own event in my school. During the holiday season there is one event that is very close to my heart, a toy drive. I wanted to be able to help others in a strong and significant way. Getting students involved in helping the community by donating toys, I accomplished my goal set in the beginning of the toy drive. Watching people receive toys and gifts for their kids to open on Christmas Day, showed me what that day can look like through a parent’s lense. I experienced the pleasure of helping people who are struggling during the holiday season and realized that there are countless people who require assistance. Over one hundred toys were donated in a short period of time. The more than forty hours I put into this event are hours that I will never
The event began at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 17th as the shelter children and their parent entered the festively decorated room and sat in the chairs provided. The excitement of all in attendance could be felt as they waited through the introductions and awards given to the shelter staff. Director Jimmy Waldrom and the Shelter Night Manager and Event and Fundraising Coordinator, James Wilson received special recognition. Officer Hunt, who put a tremendous effort into the collection of toys through CHiPs for Kids, also received a well-deserved
If you we're in the Niles area last December, you might have heard singing coming from a nearby house just off from Fifth Street in Niles. It wasn't Christmas Carolers spreading Holiday joy to the neighborhood, it was the many great individuals welcoming a new home owner to their newly built house. Christmas came early for a lucky Niles area family as Habitat for Humanity completed another build to someone whom had thought that home ownership was only a dream.
One of these causes, the Miracle League of the South Hills is particularly close to my heart. A friend of my mother has a child who is severely autistic, and all my life my family and I have volunteered for many organizations to help special needs children, of all of these Miracle League has left the greatest impression on me. Ghandi once said, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others,” and that is exactly what has happened to me during my long term association with the Miracle League. I truly believe my association with this organization has helped me to become a better person, more kind, caring, outgoing, and energetic. Miracle League was founded on the belief that, “Every child deserves a chance to play baseball.” Miracle League operates specially designed fields on which they bring the game of baseball to children who may have never had the opportunity to play on a real field. I volunteer with the Miracle League Buddy program. The Buddy Program pairs volunteers with a Miracle League player to help the player The buddy is there to protect the player from balls, assist the player in batting and running the bases, and to be a friend on and off the field. I began volunteering as a buddy in 2012, and in 2014 I became a Buddy Organizer for my team, the Tigers. As Buddy Organizer I do exactly what it sounds like, I am in charge of pairing up players with a
Every year the Future Business Leaders of America group in my school organizes Thanksgiving baskets that are provided to families within the community who are in need and who otherwise would be without a Thanksgiving dinner. Serving as secretary of the club my junior and senior years I have had the honor of being directly involved with the making and handing out of the baskets. I organize the gathering of the goods and donations for the turkeys and gift cards that are provided within the baskets. These two years I have had the chance of personally handing the baskets to the families who are receiving them. When handing the out the baskets I see how thankful the families are for all of the hard work that I put into the baskets. The experience
As a non-academic pursuit, I have volunteered at a Vera Davis community family source center for nearly four years. Volunteering at this facility has helped me develop critical thinking skills, as well as social and professional skills. Within this center I have the responsibility to provide free resources to people in need. For example, free food giveaway, distribution of bus tokens, computer services, taxes, and tutoring for children K-12. Throughout my experience at Vera Davis I learned uncountable values and boundaries that transforms socialization to a different level. I enjoy being around people because they make me feel alive, but most importantly because I know that by helping them I am improving as a person. Vera Davis evoked a deep
With the help of the Me To We team at Queen Street Public School, I volunteered at a local food bank. The experience was quite educational and fascinating. We encouraged staff and students to donate non-perishable food items for the "We Scare Hunger" campaign. This was definitely a highlight of my grade five year because I felt very humble and warm-hearted by doing a simple act of kindness. In addition, I was chosen to participate in the "Intergenerational" program. This was created so that grade five students can learn more from the elders of the Burton Manor senior home. We had the privilege to learn about their history and interact with them through several educational and fun activities. If accepted, I will indeed join several clubs and teams to contribute my time and talents to make the school an exciting learning
My parents taught me, my sister Julie and brothers Bruce, Mike and Jeff, that it was better to give than to receive. At the young age of five, however; that concept was a bit difficult to grasp. I remember one summer watching my mom load some of our toys, games and clothes into the backseat of our station wagon. We were told that the items were going to be donated to our church rummage sale and the money from this sale would be given to the local food pantry. As a five year old, I felt like my mother was stealing from us and wondered to whom I could report this crime to so she would stop. I thought to myself, if this were my toy, she had no right to take it away from me even if I hadn’t used it in months. Much to my dismay, this became an annual tradition in our household. It wasn’t until I was much older that I could appreciate the significance of this act and how not everyone in America was as blessed as my family.
“Look, look! I got stickers for the house this year!” Olivia shouted as she ran to me with a Dora the Explorer coloring book. She was excited to tell me about the new Christmas coloring book that one of the nurses had given her. The church gymnasium was brimming with fresh cut garland and poinsettia and filled with evergreen trees sparkling with bright lights. This was my second year as President of the Greek Orthodox Youth Association. My role as president enabled me to work closely organizing and planning community volunteer events. However, our annual Gingerbread House Decorating party was my favorite event. The children from a local hospital joined us to make gingerbread houses, watch our Christmas play, and of course, meet Santa Claus.
During my first year of medical school, I brought a new student organization to my campus called Love Your Melon. Love Your Melon is a company that was started by two college students in Minnesota with the initial mission to give every child battling cancer a beanie. Bringing this organization to my school allowed me to raise awareness for childhood cancer, as well as carry out events for local children battling cancer. One child in particular was a 16-year-old girl diagnosed with brain cancer. As an organization, we were able to provide her a day doing all of the activities that she loved instead of focusing on her disease.
On a cold and rainy day of October in 2013, my mom and I were on our way to shop for Halloween. On our way to the store, we saw this bitter, fragile, and brisk homeless man in front of the store. In the store my mom bought a new sweater and told me ,“Go outside and give that man this sweater.” When i gave him the sweater, my mom walked out and said “may god bless you.” This made me realize how nice and generous our parents are.
Kim, in the United States, grades are not the only factor in evaluating school applicants and job candidates. From Rhodes Scholar selections to college applications, excellence in other areas such as leadership, volunteer activities, sports and arts is equally important (p82-90). In American schools, students are encouraged to do volunteer work. So much so that many schools have guidelines for how much time students are expected to spend serving in the community. Children learn the value of giving from an early age. Volunteer activities is one way Americans feel a part of things and share the goal of serving and contributing to build their communities. From neighborhood watch programs to environmental issues, Americans do not wait for the government to initiate action: they take action to bring about the changes they desire. Therefore, Americans view volunteer work as a way to teach children and young adults values such as cooperation and teamwork, dedication and work ethics, equality and social justice, leadership, generosity and compassion for
Taking time to volunteer at the many nonprofit organizations, homeless shelters, advocacy centers, philanthropic fundraisers, local schools and child care facilities in the inner city is not always at the forefront of young people’s minds while navigating through their college experiences. But, with a little push from student organizations, local nonprofits and passionate individuals, volunteerism and community change can start to take a front seat and become not just an opportunity, but also a priority in the lives of young people.
This hospital focuses on helping children, in particular, children who have cancer or any other life-threatening diseases. “The mission is to advance cures, and means of prevention, for pediatric catastrophic diseases through research and treatment. Consistent with the vision of our founder Danny Thomas, no child is denied treatment based on race, religion or a family's ability to pay” (St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 2017). These children are constantly attached to an IV in the hospital, unlike other children who don’t have any life-threating diseases. These children are unable to enjoy their childhood they way the other children do. This is the reason why we decided to a do a toy drive so with just the little bit of happiness they get when they receive these toys, can help distracted them to where they are and the pain they are going
Volunteering enables a person to develop new skills that he or she would otherwise not have been able to develop. Unlike most other organizations, a charitable organization is happy to give positions to passionate, though inexperienced, individuals who desire to help others and benefit the community. Therefore, an individual with little experience in a field of work can gain meaningful skills that he or she can use in the future. For example, while I volunteered at the hospital this summer, I learned about the daily work lives and professional duties of doctors and nurses. Had I not volunteered, I would not have learned about these things. I was always interested in the medical field, but volunteering at the hospital let me explore my interests and en...
The most joyous season of the year in our house is Christmas. All the family gets together, gifts are exchanged and we give thanks for all that we have. This Christmas however, was one that I will never forget. If it weren't for the help of a stranger coming to my rescue, my holidays would have been ruined. He reminded me that a little kindness really does go along way.