What i think community service is. Well it is something you can do to feel good about yourself or clear guilt, or it can be a sentence from a judge, or just something a school makes you do for a class. Whatever the reason for doing it, you get the same results, a feeling of happiness. You work for no personal gain but to aid people in need. It is an essential part of a community because it lets you see what struggles some people have to overcome and makes you more thankful for what you have.
(I cant understand why walks and marathons are considered community service, i mean you are giving donations but why the need for a walk, cant people just donate without having to walk a mile or so. Considering that, why not have naps instead of walks, more people would participate and no one has to get tired)