My Social Capital Activity

Ever since I can remember, I have had the intense desire to help people. In high school, I joined Kiwanis Key Club and National Honors Society; both organizations allowed me to gain hours of volunteer experience helping families in need within my own community. Both organizations have annual events to benefit our community. At Christmas, Key Club adopts a few families and we buy clothing and toys for the kids. Our efforts to make the holidays a more enjoyable time for the families removed the parents’ burden of having to worry about being able to pay bills after getting presents for their children. Also, National Honors Society holds a blood drive every year in coalition with the American Red Cross. Last year our blood drive was in honor of a little girl in our community with leukemia.

In the course of my time at Union County College, I was able to participate in measures that aided my community and those in need. I took part in the donation and creation of care bags which were donated to the Salvation Army. This initiative was made by AESNJ as part of their statewide drive to help those who lack the resources needed to obtain day to day necessities such as hygienic supplies, socks, tissues and other essentials. Additionally, I made a financial contribution which went towards aiding Syrian children. Helping individuals in need encouraged me to participate in Strides against Breast Cancer a walkathon which generated money for women whose lives were impacted by cancer. The financial donations assisted women who were unable

I have been blessed to live in a community that truly cares for people in need. It has been a joy to serve the community through Sack Packs and the All Kids Can tournaments. I serve because I am

The National Honor Society has gave me the opportunity to help others in ways that I could not have done on my own. I have had the opportunity to help many in our community with our multiple different community service projects. Last year we sold raffle tickets for a gift card basket. All of the money that we earned went to a family in our community who had been through devastating house fire. They lost not only there house but all of their personal belongings too. The fact that we have the opportunity to help those around us makes the service projects seem even more meaningful. We also took up donations of paper products to give to the Ronald McDonald House. The Ronald McDonald House is a place where families can stay while they have a child at the Ruby Memorial Hospital. They can stay there for as long as

BETA Club and National Honor Society promote academic excellence and service, therefore I have helped in several events. For example, I gathered boxes filled with toys for impoverished children. Also, I helped host a dinner to honor local veterans in an effort to give thanks to those who have sacrificed everything in the name of service. Interact Club has also given me ample opportunities to help my community, from setting up a food drive to making blankets for Project Linus. These clubs instilled a strong sense of service within me and motivated me to find more ways to which to help my town.

We mostly raised money by selling goods, but I was driven to be an example of giving back by providing a good attitude, lessons to inspire kindness, and implemented events. When I realized how much money my ideas made, I couldn't stop innovating new ways to promote our purpose. This drove me to do more which lead me to go speak on television and ask for donations during my chorus concert. As I thanked them, I reminded them how grateful we are to be a part of a community that's bonded together by love. When we reached our goal of $15,000, we used that money to buy a student glasses, send a child to the doctors, bought some clothes for someone in need, etc. Holiday Hope inspired me and taught me how one person could make a huge impact while bringing people

Through my experiences with philanthropic work I realize the commitment it takes. I also understand the outcome and the feeling you get knowing you have been a part of something bigger than yourself. Growing up in a small town I have grown accustomed to the idea of helping others. Every year my hometown puts together a philanthropy event called DUCK Week. DUCK Week stands for Doing Unselfish Charities for Kids. It is a weeklong philanthropy event where we as a community come together and help a family in need. DUCK Week started when I was in kindergarten and has grown as I have progressed through school. When I reached my first year in high school I was really able to participate the most in DUCK Week. I was involved in several committees including finance and technology. Being a part of these committees allowed me to get in on the ground floor and assist with the moths of planning that went into DUCK Week. When I reached my senior year I was defiantly able to look back and be proud of the work we had done. At our peak we were able to raise $170,000. Philanthropy is something I have first hand experience with and I know how much the outcome can help people. That I why I fell I best fit into the

If I donated It would make me feel like I am helping out the people who fight for us and help them get the treatment they need. I would like to go to Wounded Warrior assembly's to hear warriors stories and how much joining the WWP has impacted their life. I would want to be there to give the soldiers support and help them emotionally get stronger. When I help people who help us not only will it make them feel better but it makes me feel a lot better and helps me feel better about my everyday life.

I am passionate about social justice, particularly global poverty. In 2015, I, among other students in the Chicago suburbs raised $62,000 to build a dorm in Banteay Meanchey, Cambodia. We learned about the human trafficking situation and lack of education in Cambodia from a Willow Creek staff member who visited Cambodia. Over the course of a calendar year, I attended bi-weekly meetings for project updates and brainstorming with other student leaders. Then, I would bring back these ideas to my classmates and we planned fundraisers that would work well for our school population. My favorite fundraiser when we raised $700 by selling 18-inch pixy stix (sugar sticks). I never could have sold 700 giant sugar sticks on my own, especially in a one-month

I would love to donate to many different organizations. I would donate $125,000 to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital because they help kids who are sick and need help without charging their families. St. Jude’s does so much for people without billing them, and they have to rely on donations to support themselves. What they do for children and their families is so amazing, they deserve help, too. St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital takes care of kid, and they do everything they can to get them better, and their families don’t have to pay a penny for all the help that they have been given, so donating money to St. Jude’s would really help them.

There are many different types of sacrifice, be it time, money, physical possessions, or even just a comfort. You can donate to charities that help those who need it. Everyday people make sacrifices, even some they don't realize. One such sacrifice is helping someone do a job without expecting pay: they don't have to help, and they sacrifice free time by helping. Another you give to a food drive, you are sacrificing a possession, in order to help those who need it. When people donate to a blood drive, they help people who might need it in the future by sacrificing the time to go there. These are just a few of the types of sacrifice.

Social Capital is an important concept that has significantly declined in the United States. I have decided to choose item 71 “Turn off the TV and talk with friends or family” (what to do: 150 THINGS YOU CAN DO TO BUILD SOCIAL CAPITAL , n.d.) from the course curriculum. Television is a key contributor which affects my personal contribution to social capital.

Social Capital is defined as the networks of relationships among people, enabling that society to function effectively. James Coleman’s “Social Capital in the Creation of Human Capital” examines the many benefits of social capital in a society. However, most forms of social capital are public goods and do not primarily profit the person who has to bring it about. Therefore, it’s not in his interest to bring it leading to a shortage. Coleman wants to apply economics’s principle of rational action to the social perspective to increase people’s willingness to socialize. On the other hand, Alejandro Portes’s “The Two Meanings of Social Capital” challenges Coleman’s concept by arguing that people shouldn’t

For that reason, I volunteer at a non-profit organization on a consistent basis. My father taught me the importance of using wisdom when handling money, thus, my observation confirmed that the love of money can subject extraordinary men and women of value to corruption. It is because of him that I am knowledgeable of the practicalities to saving money as it is in giving that we are

Central Idea: Many charities are deserving of support, but St Jude is truly special. Everything they do for these children makes their lives and their family’s lives just a little bit easier.