I believe one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had was when I volunteered in Ronald McDonald’s House of Charities. Baking, cooking, playing games with the children and seeing the big smile on their faces, made the experience unforgettable. From this and other experiences, I realized that helping others, in any way, big or small, is something that I really enjoy. It’s something that can really make you feel good and proud about yourself. We’re never asked to do much for others. It’s something that should not be asked. We should want to do it. In this country, there are so many people that need a helping hand. As residents and citizens of this country, we’re not asked to do much, for the country in general, other than pay taxes and vote. So, volunteering and helping citizens that are less fortunate than us shouldn’t seem like too much. We should be thankful for what we do have but also remember those out there who don’t have that. Something we ask for more things and want more, not because we need it, but just because we ant it. We should remember that we at least have a home, food, clothing; others don’t even have that.
Community service is an important part of helping others. We may think that all we can do is give money, but that’s not true. There are other things people appreciate more than just money. For example, giving up some of your free time to spend with children in the hospital, cooking and serving at soup kitchens, waking up early and walking in a cancer walk, baking and selling to fund raise fora good cause. These are things that people will sometimes be more thankful than money because it shows that you went out of your way to help out. We all can give money, whether we care about the cause or not, whether we give thousands or just a few dollars. However, not many gives up their time and effort to be there showing how important and how much you care for something. Knowing we helped out and did the right thing is a satisfying feeling we should all want to feel.
The relationship between leadership and community service projects is very simple. A leader leads a group to help others [and themselves] reach a common goal. A community service project is a goal that a group of people are a part of to help others. Every community service project has a leader. By going out of your way and volunteering in a project, you become a leader. Although you may not be leading the project, you become a leader to your friends and classmates who are not part of the project yet. If they see your interest in volunteering, you may encourage them to join the cause and help out too making you a leader. You can make the change with in your group of friends. You can be an inspiration to them while helping the less fortunate as well.
To promote volunteer work at Baruch, we should have more volunteer events in the college. However, we have to keep in mind that it may be difficult for some to attend since they may be working or have a class. Events should be created when we know a majority can be part of it. You can also make it mandatory like in class like Freshman Seminar. Another way to boost volunteerism is by giving credit to the volunteers. As volunteers, we should not want to help out to get something in return, but sometimes it does feel nice to feel appreciated and recognized for what you did. We should also do more things that students find interesting or something in which they can get something out of it too. For example, having school dances, carnivals, raffles, bake sales or trips. These all are great fundraisers, but students may also find them fun to be a part of.
