Julissa Mackey December 18, 2011
Freshman Seminar
The Importance of Community Service
What would this world be if we were all money-driven and incapable of giving? What would happen to the less fortunate, the blind, the meek? If we do not stop the cycle of selfishness within ourselves we can never stop the struggle of the helpless in our world.
New Yorkers feel the sting of the harsh winter’s cold everyday around the holidays. How many of them think of those have to go without that cup of Starbucks coffee and new warm coat and gloves.
There is an unlimited amount of things to be grateful for year-round, and the lucky folk should keep this feeling gratitude going by bringing it to the lives of others.
In this essay, I will shed some light on something that is more than a nice thing to add on to your resumé. Community service is what keeps humans humane and here’s how.
Doug George arrived in Biloxi, Mississippi on November 7, 2005. He had signed up to aid Katrina victims for five days “but quickly realized that even 500 days would not be enough.” Hurricane Katrina was a category 4 storm with the sixth-lowest atmospheric pressure on record. There were sustained winds gunning at 145 miles per hour and a atom surge of 20 – 30 feet.
George arrived to see the damage. Trees over one hundred feet tall laying over homes, flattening neighborhoods. Roofs had been stripped down leaving everything inside exposed to the terror of the storm.
In a reflection this good Samaritan posted on sound waves, a government web site that advocates volunteer work, he speaks of his encounter with a man named Tuli. Tuli is described as a man rendered homeless post-Katrina. Doug George met this man after he had been sleeping on his soggy mattress for two months. Tuli went back to his barren and ruined home after the disaster to retrieve what he could.
He was left to take only his bed which was then wrapped in plastic and tape to keep from harming himself, and wedding photos of his son and new daughter-in-law.
George states that “the human capacity to bear suffering was far greater than [he] had imagined.” The volunteer worked endless hours in horrifying conditions with little supplies and no monitory profit. So why would he go through such trouble and heart ache for some strangers in trouble? Doug George says, “…the moment a victim smiles in genuine appreciation as you stand with legs bloodied, shoulders aching, body caked in mud and soaked in sweat, nose raw from the rubbing of a face mask—that smile turns you around to swing the sledge for one more hour. I hope to see Tuli’s house a home again and return his smile.”
What volunteers did for Katrina victims will go down in history as one of the most heartwarming acts people could do for the city. However, there is no form of community service too small. Any help at all is significant to someone in a way we may never understand. Getting involved is up to us and we can be as creative and devoted as we choose. Whether it is signing up at soup kitchen, building homes, or even just donating clothing to your local donation center it is giving (not only time and labor) the less fortunate hope for a better tomorrow.
Sure, we would all rather be hanging out with our friends. Getting the motivation to help our community member can feel like a drag, but community service is a moral obligation for everyone, even celebrities, and we should all sacrifice some time to experience that sense of good at least once.
When I was younger I did not see the point of this righteous duty. Now that I have experienced living away from my parents, working and having to care for myself, I have a new perspective. I know and have witnessed how quickly and easily life can become overwhelming. Knowing that there are people out there that will help if things ever go poorly for me is a good feeling.
