Personal Narrative: My Experience At Judson High School

I raised money for scholarships to camp; helping hundreds of kids come to camp that would be unable to afford it otherwise. Development of a diverse staff was important to me. So I recruited, interviewed and hired central city staff to be part of camp. This involved going to their neighborhood for interviews because they had no means of getting to camp.

The first event I ever volunteered with through the Youth Council was The St. Jude’s Ranch Prom. It was a very worthwhile volunteer experience. Every child had a different story, a different background, and a different circumstance. For one night they were able to focus on something else; it was something they had been looking forward to. Most everyone wants to have that ‘Prom’ experience. It’s something people don’t easily forget. We knew that some of the children there would be unable to participate in such an event because of their situation. Fortunately the Youth Council was able to bring the Prom to them. I was able to meet many of the kids participating and it was a very rewarding encounter. They were elated that someone was doing so much to make them happy. It was evident how much work had been put into organizing the event. Every child from St.Jude’s Ranch was able to pick out a gown and suit to wear. The children were ecstatic. I helped them to set up all the clothes that was donated simply for that event and volunteered the day of the

I was much more interested to come back to the soup kitchen and meet my fellow volunteers again. The same people weren’t there though, instead there was a whole new brand of volunteers who were all female. Interested about what their decision was for coming here I asked the group of volunteer. Each person responded by saying that they were from St John’s and doing this service for DNY. Some said more and talked about how that they wanted to help the poor in any way they could. I then asked these volunteers why they believe that they must help the poor. They explained that poor people need our help in order to help them over this stage in their life. It was very interesting to not hear a word about the cause or reason behind

This particular service project reached home, which showed me the importance of involving myself in the event. I could be buying items for a father, mother, fiance, or

There was no program that organized and created activities like the Volunteer Center does here. I await my next opportunity to take a trip with the Service Ambassadors, where I can make a big difference in only one day. My time spent at the Foster Care Fleece Blanket Project also felt like a meaningful contribution to the community, as the whole campus became more aware of homelessness. Previously, I had not put a lot of thought into foster children and their lives, but now I realize how emotionally stressful it must be to be moved from home to

Last year was the first year that I started volunteering with Shorewood Interact Club, and the best memory I have is from the Holidays Clothing Drive that Mary’s Place did. It was early December and getting pretty cold outside, my friend, Richard, and I got on the E Line heading South into Downtown Seattle. We had on our good coats and some gloves and were ready to go and do some volunteering. Once off of the E Line, we walked through the Seattle Center to get to the space that was lent out to Mary’s Place. Outside there were several dozen people waiting for the doors to open, and they looked cold and hungry. There were men, women, and children all around the entrance ready to go inside and get some food and clothes. Looking upon them, I felt pity that they should have to wander the streets while I myself slept in warm bed. Richard and I made our way inside, weaving through all of the people, and were greeted by several full time volunteers who assigned us to go man the clothing center.

Applied for Thrivent action Team grant and did a community service project with confirmands and first communion kids at Plumb place. We bought Christmas gifts with the help of Vicky Lyon and delivered them and wished them a merry Christmas.

Today I attended a fundraiser for Changing Lives Together at Applebee’s. The agency coordinated this event to raise funds for the “Dream the Big Dream” Youth Conference. Typically breakfast isn’t served at Applebee’s; however, they sponsored our event for today. There was a great deal of support and we had an amazing turnout.

My community of Lisle is a small, predominantly caucasian, middle-class town. I can walk down the hallway and recite the first name, last name, and a fun fact of about 70% my peers. However, there are not many minorities students in the honors and AP classes. At times, I would feel out of place in these classes not because of my intelligence, but because of the stereotypes others make about my race. Labels and groups were so prominent and I did not fit comfortably into any single category. I liked being on the math team, playing soccer, and spending time with friends. But the academics, athletes, and social crowds were distinct, and people seemed to only interact with those of the same race. Nonetheless, at Lisle High School, we have a common saying, “One Pride”

Over 100 homeless men and women decided to come in off the streets and many of our neediest neighbors were given HOPE. Your gift helps make this possible. In addition to the residents we serve, each day an additional 500 hungry men, women, and children line up for a meal in our emergency food service line. Our residential programs are at capacity with over 700 formerly homeless enrolled. We have two additional outreach events coming up this summer where we hope to transform even more lives.

For this service project I decided to volunteer at Community Regional Medical Centers’ Terry’s House. Terry’s House is a hospitality home that provides lodging for families of patients that are in critical care units at the hospital. Community Regional treats the most critically injured from nine counties. Some of these patients are hospitalized for months at a time, and their families must travel hundreds of miles to visit them. Terry’s House provides a lace for these families to sleep, shower, and eat while their family member recovers at Community. Families that qualify to stay at Terry’s House must live outside of the Fresno-Clovis area. Terry’s House was made possible by a lead gift from Tom Richards, CEO of the Penstar Group. Terry’s House was named after his

Out of about 100 applicants, I was on of 18 inductees selected to become part of the Society this school year. This organization has increased my participation in the government greatly and has opened my eyes to some of the needs in the community around us. One event that impacted my current perspective on life was an event for a local organization called A Touch of Understanding. In this event, I helped younger children understand the plights their mentally and physically impaired classmates deal with by leading activities that simulated those trials. The opportunity to bestow a compassionate worldview on a younger person through leadership was extremely rewarding and reminded me of how even the simplest actions perpetuate understanding and compassion in

I have accomplished to set apart some time out of my schedule to volunteer and provide service for the homeless here in Dallas. Each December, nearing the Christmas holiday, there is an event called Operation Care in the Dallas Convention Center that offers food, clothing, and various needed services for the homeless. I am grateful for this volunteer opportunity, and for having my Avid family to experience it with. Being a part of Avid has encouraged me to give my time selflessly to many good causes and be a leader to all of my

The program went from Monday to Friday over the summer and I contributed 200+ hours of service to it; at the end of it all, we encouraged the kids to form friendships and break their awkward middle school personas through group bonding activities. We taught them to be compassionate for others through volunteer experiences like cleaning a farm in Rancho San Rafael. More importantly, we aided them in setting goals for and after high school; we made plans for what they wanted to accomplish in life. This was my greatest inspirational leadership experience; I made an impact on middle schooler’s lives and told them that if I can do it so can they, I believe I inspired these kids to work diligently in school. Now, my senior year consists leadership positions at school. Currently, I am the treasurer of Eco-Warriors and actively strive to improve the

Another event that I attended and I thought it was very helpful was when they went out during January and gave the homeless food. The children went out and gave a lunch bag to the one who were in need and they would also invite them to the park later on where they were going to be serving dinner to the ones who needed it. When they were done reaching out the ones in needed they went to the park and started to set everything up