It was 2011, I had been volunteering through the YMCA of Kansas City for a few years when I met Alice. She was one of the many people that we were helping the food kitchen feed that day. She was there with her older brother, waiting in line for a turkey sandwich that I had helped make with the other volunteers. As a 14 year old girl you never expect to meet a kid your age in a situation like Alice’s. Until that point in my volunteer work I hadn’t really seen the impact that poverty in my area could have on a kid like me. If not for the volunteer work that I did through the YMCA I probably would have never seen it. After all, I was decently well-off. My parents were together, my dad had a good job, and I hadn’t been exposed to many of life’s tragedy’s yet.
However, Alice had. A girl my age, with my blond hair, was living in shelters and couch surfing with her older brother. I learned later that they had been kicked out of their home to make space for their mother’s new boyfriend and his children. At the age of 13, I didn’t understand how something like that could happen, it made me angry. I couldn’t even imagine my mother doing something like that to me. Despite my anger, Alice still seemed to find the best in the situation. She told me that her and her brother were on a grand adventure and that they were collecting materials to go on some quest. Alice’s situation impacted me so deeply; because I wasn’t worried about where I was going to sleep for the night, or where my next meal would come from. I didn’t have to worry about money, when the food kitchen would close, or if the local homeless shelter had enough room for me and my family. Unlike Alice and her brother, my parents could afford to take care of me. Alice’s couldn’t. I looked like Alice, talked like Alice, and kind of acted like her, but I was not Alice; because I had more than Alice.
My encounter with Alice and many other children like her caused volunteering to make a huge impact on my life. I wanted to help. The more I volunteered, the more I realized that I was a lot more concerned about the events unfolding around me than other children my age. I became very respectful of others struggles and pain, and I was endlessly giving. I realized that not everybody had the advantages I had in life. My parents eventually got frustrated with me, because I would buy lunch for my classmates at school who had forgotten theirs or had no money. They told me that while what I was doing was very kind, I could not feed everyone and myself at the same time; but that didn’t stop me from trying.
As I grew up, it became easier for me to distinguish between the people whom had done volunteer work as a child or even as an adult, and the people who hadn’t. After some research I learned that volunteering in adolescence was closely associated with positive outcomes in growing up. People who volunteered growing up were less likely to fall into the bottom of a bottle or the deep end of drugs, they also had more respect for those around them. Other children who are involved in community service or who volunteer in political activities are more likely as adults to have a strong work ethic, to volunteer, “Volunteering is also associated with the development of greater respect for others, leadership skills, and an understanding of citizenship that can carry over into adulthood. According to at least one study, the benefits of volunteering in adolescence may even reduce their risk factors for cardiovascular disease.”https://www.childtrends.org/indicators/volunteering/
Adolescence and teens are even given incentives in many school districts to accumulate service hours. In my district we had community service clubs, and even outreach programs through our school where you could go teach or read to kids in the Greater Kansas City area if they needed help. Many schools in the United States also promote to Presidential Service Award, which in itself makes a great impression on any college, or job application.
Even as an adult, volunteering can positively impact both you and your community. While I was volunteering, one of my favorite things to do was get involved in a Head Start Program. Head Start programs are active across the country and are very important in impoverished communities. As a volunteer, you will help teach children basic skills, including how to read, write, and solve problems. Beyond helping the kids, this will also help volunteers foster their own sense of value and worth. In addition to teaching children, volunteers can also get involved in building projects; like safe playgrounds. https://www.unitedway.org/blog/4-personal-benefits-of-volunteering-in-your-community
Studies show, that volunteering helps children discover inner strengths and life skills. They become valued members of their communities which again fosters a sense of self worth. Due to necessary communication while volunteering, it also helps combat shyness and helps with socialization and other communication skills. Encouraging your child to volunteer, and volunteering with them, will foster growth and give them valuable skills that will help them go extremely far in life. http://kidsgivingback.org/why-volunteer-2/
Volunteering as a child has influenced me to help those around me, and has opened my eyes to hardships of life that I otherwise might not have encountered. Volunteering teaches children to be kind, to respect others, and to be compassionate and caring. It teaches children valuable life lessons, and will give them an outlook on life that will encourage growth and prosperity; all the while they will be positively impacting their communities.
