Personal Narrative: My Key Club Experience

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

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

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.

Over the course of my academic career, I have volunteered with Key Club at my school and other various places, such as the Poe Center for Health Education and WakeMed Health and Hospitals. Involvement with each organization has had a tremendous impact on my character. Often, while at the Poe Center, I had hours alone to create educational tools, file papers, and enter data into spreadsheets which taught me responsibility and integrity. I always strived for the best when I completed tasks at the Poe Center and at WakeMed. Each organization has been impacted through my volunteer services. With Key Club, we had monthly trips to the senior home. Each time I visited the senior home, the elder’s faces would light up because many of them did not have

I feel that after all of the sacrifices that have been made by the community for my benefit, I have an obligation to give back and re-pay what has been given and more, I have an immense amount of appreciation and gratitude toward my community and all they have done for my peers and I. Community service also plays a big role in my involvement in the youth group at First Baptist Church of Bryson City. each year, a group of teenagers, including myself, participate in multiple community service projects -- whether they are as close to home as the Hospital Hill Road clean-up, or a far away as mission work in Port-au-Prince, haiti. I have been involved in many community service projects, because giving back to my community is something that simply gets done without

As vice president of my school's NHS chapter, I am an advocate for good causes. Our service project this year is a substantial charitable endeavor. In 1996, a fellow NHS member and friend lost a sibling to SIDS. To assist his family's fight for a cure, our chapter initiated a fundraiser. Tee-shirt sales raised thousands of dollars; a ceremony at a football game advertised our cause to the community; our slogan “Big Steps for Baby Steps” galvanized the school; a partnership with the CJ Foundation for SIDS legitimized our efforts with sponsors. Each of the school's clubs and teams has dedicated itself to the cause. A 5k in May is our culminating event. Uniting an entire school and community behind such a worthy cause is gratifying. The other

Key Club would required a minimum of 50 hours of service per year in order for me to continue being a member the following year. I have accomplished over 200 hours of volunteer work throughout all 4 years of high school. The volunteer work that I have done made a difference in many people lives and I feel happy making other people happy. It was the beginning of my first semester as a freshman majoring in Biological Science at California State University of Fullerton (CSUF) when the life-changing incident occurred. I remembered it like it was yesterday.

Since I first delved into community service two years ago, I have not only found a passion for helping others, but also a sense of belonging. After my freshman year of highschool, I was lacking direction. I had no idea what I wanted to involve myself in, but I knew I wanted to start something to help people. Therefore, my friends and I created our own charity, The Pink Bowz. Since 2015, I have worked in my community to expand this organization which helps women battling breast cancer. The Pink Bowz has since completed approximately 200 hours of community service and donated over $5000 to five women in the Hampstead - Wilmington area. Through this experience I found a passion for the fundraising process. I campaigned at my school to start a

Clubs specializing in volunteering, truly trying to combat the problem such as Key Club while also working in unison with other clubs such as Model UN and Spanish Club. Volunteering is essential in eradicating the problem of homelessness in our community. Although volunteering at many places over high school such as Honor Flight assisting war veterans for a flight to Washington D.C to visit war memorials, for the Eastern Farm Workers Association helping make tamales to sell during superbowl week, at the school such as Tillie’s Touch collecting sports equipment and giving it to children in need, or making sandwiches for the homeless, by far the one that has had the most impact on me has been the Samaritan Center. Volunteering at the Samaritan Center, although the process being rigorous trying to volunteer there is worth it due to having an amazing and eye opening experience. Facing the problem head on opens your eyes to reality and truly makes you

As what seemed to be an almost non-existent summer comes to an end, I have had time to reflect on what I hope to accomplish during my last year roaming the halls of James E. Taylor High School. I picture the impossible calculus problems that I will be required to solve or the piles of books I will struggle to finish as my literature exams near, but one thing that I am truly enthusiastic about is service. Improving my grades had been my most important goal as I began my high school career, however as this draws to an end, I have come to realize that the one thing that will truly leave a mark and will hopefully inspire others is the service that I have given to my community. Through Key Club, I have not only made friendships and bonds that I

Winston Churchill’s quote "We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give" embodies what community service is really about. Over the years I have had the pleasure of working for several organization and volunteering in a variety of different areas. There has been a community service experience that changed my life tremendously though. From 2009 until 2014 I had the amazing opportunity to work for the Nash-Edgecombe County Teen Court Program and doing so profoundly shaped my future.

The support of the club has given back to all areas of influence including schools, cemeteries, businesses, and programs such as the Warrior Outreach. The club has been involved with many outstanding events such as feeding the homeless; providing gifts for under privileged kids; partnering with local schools to help establish a positive foundation for the youth through interaction; clearing and cleaning overgrown cemeteries with the preservation society; and assisting with the restoration of homes belonging to citizens in the area. One of the most interesting things that the club does that should never go unnoticed is empowering and providing great leaders with an outlet to be able to do these amazing things. Individuals will struggle to find a way to make a difference in the community, but when like minded individuals come together the opportunities seem to present themselves in abundance.

As a kid I was always fond of donating clothes, or helping out at my local food bank, because reaching out made me feel good and put a smile upon the ones I was giving a helping hand to and myself. Growing up, my parents have instilled within me to always give aid to those who are in hardship, because if we are fortunate enough to have everything we have ever needed, then why can’t others have the same. My drive for assisting others expanded when I joined the Interact club. I have been in Interact Club for two years, and now I am treasurer of this group which gives back to the community and other communities as well. In the Interact Club, we have donated countless of items, ranging from food to clothes to books and much more. Through the Interact

One of my biggest struggles I deal with everyday is that I feel like I’m one of the few people who actually does things from the heart. I don’t do something because someone told me it was a good idea or because I’ll look good to other people. I can provide you with plenty of examples to clarify this and the easiest example I can think of would be school. I bet that 75% of high school students only go to classes because it’s federal law. Most of them (including me at one point) go there to just memorize stuff and try to make our parents happy with decent grades. Rarley, would you get a kid like me who attends class to learn about a variety of topics and actually retain the information. Even though many of my classes incoporate topics I won’t ever use (or take the