Lions Park Volunteer Experience

During my volunteer hours I learned a lot about my own community I that I have not been able to experience. For example I have never been able to participate in so many writing programs and workshops in my local high school, this is because I also did not attend my own local high school because my mother did not allow me to instead, she asked me to attend a charter school. By partnering with LA826, I was able to attend different writing workshops where I would help different high school student write essay, cover letters, and personal statements. Furthermore I believed that most of my activities consisted of just being able to listen to some of the students.

As surprising as it may sound, I have been doing community service since the sixth grade and it is a new experience each time. It all began with a community clean up known as 'Keep McAllen Beautiful' as we got there everyone seemed excited to be there. It was beautiful to see such unity inside of my community, and I decided from then on that I would like continue helping out where it is needed. As I joined the National Honor Society my chances of providing my services increased, and I decided that I would assume a position of leadership when needed. I became the society's president, which allowed me to develop my time management skills, creativity, and efficiency. I organized an fundraiser for the hurricane Harvey disaster victims where all

I have been involved with several service activities throughout my life. Some of the more recent services that I have participated in include: Helping set up and helping teach underprivileged children at the Children's Defense Fund Freedom School. Here I volunteered my time during the summer helping set up the classrooms and supplies, moving and unpacking and organizing; supplies, food, and donations the summer program. I also helped out this summer program by checking people in and out, guiding and directing people where to go, and unload and load the children onto the busses. During the summer I also volunteered a week of my time to be a “buddy” to a special olympiad at their Special Olympics Athletic Retreat. Being a “buddy” included self regulation, chaperoning on field trips one on one, assisted with self care skills when they where needed. Also this summer I volunteered my time for four weeks being a counselor in training at the Stowe YMCA. This included reading to the campers, helping serve meals to the campers, Chaperoning on field trips with the campers and being camp counselors to campers in grades pre-k through fifth grade. I also have been participating on my temple’s youth group advisory board. There I help determine, plan, organize, and run group activities and social events for the youth groups. I have been doing this for the past three years. This group also partakes in several community service projects throughout the

I have had a valuable experience assisting with activities at Riverside Lodge Retirement Home, such as helping to decorate pumpkins during

The first volunteer trip to the senior center started out as a cosmetology project and with a lack of students in the course, i opened it up to any student in the school. With the max total of 16 girls, we arrived at the senior center and held a mini spa day for the residents. Myself and

The National Honor Society is for high school seniors who have “demonstrated excellence in the areas of scholarship, leadership, service, and character”. At John Marshall we really push the “service” area. There are so many different reason I wanted to be a part of NHS; It gives me satisfaction that I was able to become a member of such an elite society, it also is very rewarding to give back to a community that has done so much for me. Each service project I have volunteered at has taught me something different. Since July, I have volunteered at eleven different projects (over 32 hours), and I have learned something new every time. When I volunteered at the Marshall County Family Resource Network’s gift packaging for teenagers at Cameron High and Middle, Moundsville Middle, Sherrard Middle and John Marshall High Schools, I didn’t realize there were so many of my peers in need of simple hygiene products. It inspired me to help and give back to them by donating to Paws for a Cause at John

For my community service, I have been going to Lyndon B. Johnson Head Start Program, or LBJ. At LBJ, it is my responsibility to look after children and clean up after them. The teachers there set up many activities for the kids to work on, most of the time they finger paint. The teachers also set up small field trips. For example, we once went on a field trip to a house that had set up a pumpkin patch and many other activities for the kids. The house we went to wasn’t very far from LBJ. The children had so much fun choosing a pumpkin and playing different games, and I had fun helping them and taking care of them.

While volunteering at Discovery Challenger I have exclusively worked with a blind man named Geno. My service to the Discovery Challenger Program has positively affected the community in that the athletes that required a helper were able to have me as one despite the limited number of volunteers who helped the athletes. Another community service I committed myself to while in high school was the club Life is Delicious. Life is Delicious is a club that between two and three times Year members of the club cook a warm meal at the high school, and then some go to the St. Vincent DePaul Homeless Shelter in Waterbury. At the end of my sophomore year I was named Co-President of the club. As a member of the club I went to all of the cooking and serving activities and was able to help the homeless of Waterbury by giving them a warm meal. The most impactful service I performed in my opinion was during my junior year when I was the organizer for the Penguin Plunge. During my junior year I thought that it would be a good idea for the basketball team to do the Penguin Plunge in order to raise money for Special Olympics Connecticut as I had done so in the previous two years. So, I approached the athletic director

I ambitiously decided that I would brighten the lives of the elderly by volunteering at a rest home, but discovered that the elderly were being neglected, shoved aside and forgotten. As I stepped into the home a pungent odor penetrated my nostrils, causing an instantaneous gagging reflex. The place was abounded with neglected and subdued inhabitants, yearning for attention. Anybody that passed them caused a sudden outburst of ranting. The negligence and disregard the home displayed appalled me, but helped me to realize that I wanted to make a difference and change the condition people live in.

I volunteered at the Hubbard House, which is a home away from home for people who have family in the hospital or are being treated by the hospital and don’t want to live there, as the hospital is a 5 minute bus ride away. Our job was to serve the residents who were currently housed there, a hot homemade spaghetti and meatballs meal with garlic bread and assorted desserts. We served them as if it were a restaurant and brought smiles to their faces.

Throughout high school I participated in numerous volunteer opportunities. I had the opportunity to be my high school's basketball team manager my junior year of high school. As the lady blazers manager I was in charge of attending games, practices, recording fouls and games, as well as organizing the food for the players after their games. However, I also devoted my time to things other than sports. I also volunteered every year at my school's registration for new student. My school, IDEA Quest, places a lot of emphasis on new student registration because new students are given an opportunity to preview their life at IDEA. Therefore as a volunteer of the new student registration I would speak at the student panel about my experience as an

Recently I have been volunteering for American Public Square. I have helped at one dinner, one "conversation," and helped hang posters around campus, which have totaled to nine hours of service. At the dinner, I helped to seat guests and ensured that dinner went smoothly. At the "conversation" I greeted guests and handed out programs that contained a survey and fact check/question cards. I then collected question and fact check cards as the audience filled them out. I also helped American Public Square counting the demographics of the guests.

After looking through all the possible places to volunteer I chose Tabitha Healthcare Services because I have many years of experience working with children and felt since in my future career I'll be working the elderly it would be beneficial to do that now. I am excited about working within the Tabitha organization and my first choice is to volunteer for Meals on Wheels. I love spending time with elderly people and hope I'm able to bring them a little bit of sunshine with their meal each day. The decision of where to volunteer was not a difficult one for me since I have experience working with children already I thought it would be a good decesion to work with a different

On November 6th, 2016 I volunteered at The Discovery Center in Springfield for America recycles day. During the day I was an activities volunteer. Throughout the day I was stationed at different activities in the building. I first started off at the highwire bike. There I would strap on the harness to the kids prior gettin on the bike. Next I went to the phenomena exhibit. There I stood next to the plasma ball and would place the light bulb in there hand once at least one hand was on the ball. Then my next station was to just walk around and to make sure exhibits were going smoothly. I also would pick up any exhibits that needed attention and or that were not busy with kids. Lastly I was stationed at the energy exchange gallery. There I helped the kids while riding the hamster wheel. I usually just gave them a push off and then told them when they were finished.

The day I went in for volunteering, I was positioned as a phone attendant answering phone calls to anyone who had questions about YMCA, I was given a packet of information to be able to answer those questions. I answered my first call and was able to successfully help the person with their question but I did not enjoy this position as much because it felt more like work than volunteering. After