CMPD Explorer Program Analysis

The Easter egg hunt was designed for children in the church community. Another event I volunteered in was making prayer blankets for the homeless. A prayer blanket is two pieces of fabric connected by knots, and with every knot tied, a prayer is said for the person the blanket is going to. I also participated in volunteering for the vet. Similarly, my family was a member of the Missouri House Rabbit Society and fostered a total of eight bunnies. We eventually adopted two bunnies named Shannon and Clover. I love to make a difference in my community, even if it was a small deed.

Throughout my life, I’ve always had an immense interest in helping others. Being involved in the National Charity League for 5 years has given me the opportunity to be involved with charities that I otherwise would’ve never known about. I’ve had the privilege to help with over b charities in and around my community throughout my years as an NCL member. By far my favorite would have to be Grace’s Feed Our Kids that I have volunteered at every summer since my start in NCL. Through this charity, we are able to provide lunches and fun games to underprivileged kids in Grapevine during the unbearably hot Texas summer days. Each day we serve different meals, either donated from local restaurants or homemade by my NCL class, and have a variety of things for the kids to do, like coloring, water guns,

As a student, I have demonstrated many works of service to my community and school. Service opportunities have shaped me into the person I am today and these projects have made me realize how fortunate I am for all that I have. While I've been doing these service projects through the years, it has been a pleasure seeing the joy on the faces of people that aren't as fortunate as I am. Service projects that I have completed include managing the fish booth at the St. Leo's Parish Festival, being an altar server at St. Leo's Parish, helping cook dinner for the Ridgway Fire Department during carnival day setup, participating in the St. Marys Light Up Night by dancing, and Christmas caroling to local residents. I also participated in a zombie/princess

Over the past year, I have served my school and community in many different ways. Whether it be through volunteering or participating in organizations that work to make changes in the lives of others. I try to stay involved in my environment. Currently, I am a student at Rockford Lutheran High School. With the multitude of clubs, my school offers, I am able to interact with other club members to promote student participation. Every year we participate in drives and fundraisers. In Key Club, each year we put together solider boxes. We collect a variety of small items and send hand packaged boxes to our fighting soldiers, as a gift for christmas. Other drives that I partake in are the canned food drives for the local food pantries, and the clothing drives to give winter clothing to those less fortunate. This helps to provide this vulnerable population with warmth during the cold winter months.

Since the summer of eighth grade I have volunteered at Essentia Health Hospital making tie blankets for inpatients. These patients are able to take the blankets home with them when they are well enough to leave the hospital. Moreover, I volunteer at my local church for a once-a-month food share. I help unload the food from the truck, sort out the rotten produce, and distribute the food among the shareholders. Additionally, I clean up highways and trails as a part of Green Club ,and I partake in numerous other volunteer opportunities within my school

I volunteered at the Little Lights Urban Ministries. I had the pleasure of working with adults and kids but, majority were adults in a low income community. Little lights was founded in 1995 by Steven Park. Little Lights is located in Potomac Gardens public housing apartments in Washington DC. It all started off with Steven tutoring one child in an uptown neighborhood. Then he met his wife Mary and things started expanded. They started allowing 15 kids come over after school to do homework and bible study. Sometimes they would order pizza or buy chicken to feed the kids if they stayed over late. A couple of years later they was blessed with the main building and somebody donated a van for transportation. Steven then start his nonprofit and

Throughout the semester, I have been able to volunteer for the American Red Cross Disaster Services Team. This has been one of the most beneficial volunteer opportunities that I have ever accomplished. As an American Red Cross of Georgia Major Gift Officer, this volunteer experience allowed me to gain knowledge in a department that serves as the backbone of the American Red Cross.

Christmas of 2016, I met a family with four children who were not going to be able to have a Christmas that year. My heart broke for this desperate family. The Father suddenly left the wife and kids three months before Christmas. The mother was no longer able to give her children a Christmas, and she did not know how to break it to the kids. A couple of days before Christmas, my family and I sent gifts for each family member and five-hundred dollars for her child support. Earlier in the winter, I also raised even more money for them to spend on groceries, textbooks, school supplies, etc. The family could not stop thanking us for saving their

When I heard about the trip to Cradles to Crayons, I volunteered along with some other Merion girls. Although I did this for only two hours, the positive experience caused me to look forward to participating in the future trips. That October day, I helped to sort through winter accessories for children in the Philadelphia Area. It really

As an officer in Key Club, I was given a marvelous opportunity to volunteer in an area I have never considered before. I was searching online when I discovered New Hope was hosting a party for kids that have incarcerated parents. I contacted them through email luckily they have emailed me back and they were happy to have me, volunteer. I usually help out on the craft table or in the kitchen serving the people. There are so many words I cannot help to describe how much I love volunteering, I love helping the kids who have an unfortunate life since they have incarcerated parents, and it makes me feel welcomed that the kids are allowing us the volunteers help them in their way of life to not end up like their parents.

It was my favorite activity because it was a celebration for the homeless. It gave them hope and essentials before they had to endure the cold winter. A group of us were able to pass out clothing, bedding, and toys to those who waited. I also helped serve holiday meals to people, which included turkey, macaroni, and pumpkin pie. It was rewarding to see everyone eating nice meals while a band played holiday music in the background. For a moment, everyone could forget their situations and enjoy the presence of others. At times, it was overwhelming because we were helping hundreds of people, but in the end it was fun. I learned the most from this event because I saw parents who had to get clothes for their infants, and people who had homes but couldn’t pay for their basic utilities to be turned on for the winter. This gave me a new definition to what homeless means.

Even though this is not my platform or the national platform I want to take this time to explain an event I helped co-organize back in October. “Community Conversation-Surviving & Thriving” was a free, three day event raising awareness for domestic violence at Dickinson State University. The DSU wellness program and I formed a partnership with Karen Van Fossan, communications director for the Prevent Child Abuse North Dakota. The event consisted of the clothesline project, a display of t-shirt decorated by survivors of domestic violence along with counseling services available for those in need. The short film “Authentic Voices,” featuring North Dakota survivors of childhood abuse which sparked conversation about how people survive their own challenges- whether it’s caused by nature, life or an injustice. The last

This holiday season I plan to give back to my community by volunteering at an organization called “Santa's Workshop” with my key club. This organization sets ups tables with many crafts for the community to come in and create. There are many kids who do not get presents for Christmas and the crafts that are made are wrapped up and sent to orphanages and shelters where kids do not receive presents. Volunteering here for 3 years straight makes me feel like my character was grown. The feeling of giving back to the less fortunate is an amazing feeling and I encourage everyone to give back tis holiday season.

There were always crayons and coloring books for Christmas. As a child, I was not aware of financial struggles that were persistent. My grandmother enriched the experience by wrapping every pair of sox, each book, the underpants and shirts, separately. When poverty enters your wallet, creativity is enhanced. I accepted a Christmas of clothing because Crayolas of the next step were always there. With enough love and effort, children don’t feel poverty.

I have been volunteering before I was old enough to know I was volunteering. As the youngest of four, I happily came along whenever my parents and siblings volunteered. But, community service is not just something I was taught to do; it is something I love to do. Today, I serve others in ways that are closer to my own heart. Serving people and animals “who don’t have a voice” has been and always will be central to who I am. I spent this summer raising awareness and funds for foster children, and I am excited to use those funds this November to personally decorate and deliver new duffel bags with supplies to foster children in my area. Additionally, I have loved dedicating my time to a local animal rescue where I have participated in animal