My mom found this today. This is the speech I gave to the Kernersville Rotary Club!
The Importance of Service in our Community, Nation and World
Community service has always played an important part in my life. I have always felt that one of the best things a person can do is to donate their time. There are so many different ways available to fulfill one’s commitment to service; from volunteering at school to helping an elderly person or simply picking up trash. Service not only helps out others, but gives us the opportunity to show people we care for our environment and citizens around from all parts of the country and the world. It gives us the chance to show leadership and to be a role model to younger persons. If someone, especially a younger person observes you helping another, it could inspire them to imitate you. Service can spark people to action in meeting the needs of their communities, nation and world.
My personal favorite opportunity was when I went to the Dominican Republic with my church youth group on a mission trip. My small group went to a very poor village called San Pedro de Macoris. There were very many needs among the people in this village. We had the opportunity to work in both the school with helping the children to learn English and in the library helping to sort, catalogue and shelve books. We also assisted with putting a new tile floor in the sanctuary of the little Episcopal church. We each packed an extra suitcase and brought school supplies, books and toys with us. The best part of the visit was simply playing with the kids and showing as many as possible, undivided attention if even for a short period of time. I was fortunate to have had this opportunity and I feel that it will impact my life for a long time.
I have also been privileged to participate in several other community service opportunities. I have helped out several times over the years at the Second Harvest Food Bank. The most meaningful time was when I helped out after Hurricane Katrina sorting and packing donated food for shipment to the Gulf. It was nice to be able to help out people with such a great need. Every year I do the World Vision 30-hour famine collecting pledges for famine relief. This allows me to see if only for a short time, what it feels like to go through a day with little energy to do what I need to do and to go to bed hungry as so much of the world does every night.
I have been blessed with lots of occasions to be of service and they have been an important part of my own personal journey. I hope to be able to continue my commitment to service into my future. The best news is that I have received the opportunity of a lifetime starting in July. I am going to delay college for a semester. I have been accepted into Up With People Cast B 2008. I will travel for six months with 109 others from 23 different countries. We will be traveling from Mexico to the Philippines to all around the United States while putting on public performances with all proceeds going to non-profit organizations, such as Ronald McDonald Houses and Habitat for Humanity. In each community we visit, we will be doing various service projects and Community Impact, which is visiting schools and teaching students about multiculturalism. and doing a community service project each week. I’m looking forward to this for than I have ever done in my life. I’m applying for this scholarship for help with college tuition as everything that I have saved is going towards my Up With People experience.
Service to ones community, nation and world should always play a significant role in how one spends their time. There will always be people who are in need and to whom even the simplest act of kindness will make a difference in their life. Not only in their life, but in the life of the volunteer as well.
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