I Chose For Volunteer At My Mother 's House

As soon as my eyes woke up to the bitter cold of the night and stars covered by black blanket of clouds, I knew that this was it. I had tried to prepare myself that day, but I was at school when it happened. The moment the intercom came over the classroom, “Hailey Wooldridge needs to come the office, her mom is here to check her out,” my heart stopped. I was able to make it to the office without losing my composure, but as soon as my eyes met my mom standing there with tears in hers I lost it. Right there standing in the school office, the food gates of heaven opened up in my eyes and I could not stop the rivers from flowing. My best friend since kindergarten had died. All the planning of moving in together when we went to college was down the drain. The late nights of watching horribly filmed scary movies was done. My heart was broken, and the pieces are still not taped together properly. Two days later was her funeral. Her mother had asked me to say a couple of words about her during the service, but the thought of standing next to her lifeless body talking about her and not to her made everything seem surreal. By the power of prayer and numerous amounts of tears, I stood up from my seat and walked lifelessly to the podium that viewed hundreds of people waiting to see what I had to say. I do not know how I got through that speech without hysterically crying, but somehow, I talked like I was having a conversation with Serra once again. In front of me, I

In tenth grade, my English teacher posed the class with a question: what are you going to do for your community? She emphasized the importance of making a positive impact, even if it meant simply smiling as you hold the door open for someone. She prompted us to go out of our comfort zone and do something for our community. While I had been volunteering at Church and at school, I had never really taken a step out of my comfort zone. Instead of just helping out in, say, a soup kitchen, I decided that it was time

I sat there in my room with tears flowing down my blush pink cheeks. Wondering what was wrong with me, as a salty tear ran along my dried out chapped lips. I thought to myself,” Why am I so miserable? What did I do to deserve this? How am I going to escape this life?” I started to ponder that this was the end of my life, this is how I was going to be, sorrowful. At the lowest point of my life, mother came barging through the door with the look of cavernous concern on her face. She knew that it was time for something to be done, whether I agreed or not.

I need you home now.” This was my wakeup call and I knew that I had to hurry home. “I’m coming home now mom. I’ll be there in a bit. Everything is going to be alright.” Keeping my composure I went to the NHS president and told her that I had a family emergency and that I had to go. For some reason she was giving me a hard time about it but after seeing my eyes she asked if everything was alright. I just said I had to go and she finally let me go without asking anything further of me. I darted out of the cafeteria doors taking a right on the first floor hall way on the east side of the building and then a left I went through one of the schools entrances on 59th court. I live on the same street as the school just three miles away. At that moment I felt stranded. I did not have my “proper gear” to run it as fast as I could and at the time for some reason I did not bring my car to school. However, I knew I had to get home fast so I took off. As the cars passed me I lost myself in my head. I was not crying or even sad. I was unsure of how I should react. Then the thoughts of what if I never get to talk to him again ran through my head. That is when the tears started to pour down my cheeks as I continued to pant.

I walked away feeling like I was a complete failure and that I didn’t deserve to go on. On the way home my mother tried to talk to me, but, I put on my headphones and cried silently. Once we were home my father asked how it went. The tears that were in my eyes and they became more evident as my shoulders and chest were shaking and trembling. The only sound in the room was the sound of me crying and wailing. I started crumbling and falling to the ground and my mother and father rushed to my side. They held me until the tears came to a stop and a little bit afterwards

Upon hearing the news of his death I immediately sped to his apartment. When I drove up, I saw his mom, surrounded by firefighters and police officers outside of the apartment complex. She was hurled over with her hands on her face, choking on her tears, unable to speak. The sight of her like that made the hair on my arms stand straight, and my throat felt like it was closing in as my eyes welled up in panic of what might really be happening.

An ambulance came and carried out my mom. I didn’t know what was going on, so many questions running through my mind, what was wrong with her, was she going to be ok. I was scared, more scared then I had ever been. My sister Sheridan who was 8 asked me “what’s happening?” through tears. On that day a little piece of me began to change because if I let her see my fear that would not help anyone, and so even though I didn’t know what was happening I responded “everything is going to be ok” even though I did not trust my own words.

at the orphanage, I was able to help build a sidewalk and a garage for

Volunteering at the Laurel nursing home was an eye opener for me. I had done volunteer work before but the one that inspired me the most was for Laurel Nursing Home. As a group from AP Fatheree Vocational Tech Health Science class, we would go to the nursing home whenever they would allow us to come. At the nursing home, we would come up with games and activities to play with everyone such as: cards, bowling, family feud, and karoake. The best part about volunteering there was seeing the joy on their faces as we all walk in. Our presence meant more to them then we all would have expected especially for the ones who rarely got visitors. Being able to sit and listen to some of the stories they had to tell was a blessing. Although, I learned

Volunteering at a community health center in my hometown, Santiago de la Frontera in El Salvador changed my perspective on choices. Growing up, I thought that people chose to not brush their teeth. At the age of seven, I immigrated to the USA and didn't have a chance to understand that concept in El Salvador. I went back last summer and assisted an orthodontist. This opened my eyes to realize that some families have to choose between a tooth paste and food. In life, we are not given the same advantages and therefor, we can not make the same choices.

Over the past several months, I have volunteered at the Ronald McDonald House. I prepared snacks for the residents and provided entertainment through arts and crafts for the children who lived there. I enjoyed hearing the stories that the residents shared and learning about their struggles. I specifically cherished painting pictures with a little boy who was a cancer patient himself. His mom told me and other volunteers the heartbreak of his prognosis and the story of his ongoing treatment. During another visit to the house, I had the opportunity to meet two twin little girls from Texas who were looking forward to seeing their first snow. I believe I provided some entertainment for the children in order to give the parents some time for themselves. Also in the past, I have volunteered at several church fundraisers serving meals and clearing dishes. Not to mention, last summer I helped out at Animal Adoption Foundation, an animal shelter where I exercised the animals and cleaned up after them. Plus, for many years I have participated in a community cleanup. Recently, I have also begun helping at Roll Hill Community to provide young boys in low-income families with activities to keep them out of trouble. Finally, through school, I volunteered at Peaslee Neighborhood Center in an impoverished neighborhood working towards bettering the futures of the local children. I found each of these volunteer opportunities to be very rewarding because I believe I am making a difference in my community and other communities and improving the lives of the people I touch. Similarly, I connected with several children experiencing different issues, but nonetheless, I provided the same

I chose to volunteer at the Houston Food Bank because many people are affected by not getting enough food to eat every day. The Houston Food Bank is a member of the nation’s

I've been here three days, and every morning this has happened, I'm forced to remember my mother's death and all the feelings that had come with it, all over again. "Yeah, um, it is." I tell her. A warm tear falls slowly down my freckled cheek, hits my lips and spreads across my mouth. I'm so tired of her persistent nagging, that perhaps I'll leave the house today. I could go on a walk or something,

Given the diverse nature of my community, I had the opportunity to volunteer with people from a variety of racial, ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds. For instance, I mentored a fourth grader who was experiencing behavioral problems in the classroom, having trouble with his schoolwork and

My first day volunteering not only made me realize the many blessings I have in my life but also that small acts of kindness go a long