Reflection Paper

When I first decided to expand my education, it had been so long since I had been to school, and I was very hesitant. I talked at length about my decision with my husband and with his encouragement, decided to enroll but still was not quite sure which degree program to enroll in. I knew that this was something that I had always wanted to do since I obtained my Associates Degree in Nursing, but I did not have the courage, nor did I want to give up the time with my family and children. I second guessed my abilities and my knowledge because it had been so long since I had been in college. Now that my children are about to graduate high school and

We donated our time to a charity during the fall, the JROTC program decided to do the Mana Cafe to help those in need. It was a food drive and people would help gather food together to deliver it to families that needed it for the winter. Everyone was pitching together and doing their part to get the food together and in the people’s car. Even in the cold weather, everyone was having fun, knowing that they were doing excellent in their hearts. Therefore that day families were allowed to eat despite their economic struggle and all as a result of the service we did to help them.

In fifth grade I was told I was going to Mexico for spring break, little did I know this vacation would be one of the most life changing experiences I have ever had. I have always been told to do thing for others and to put the less fortunate before myself. I live in a very Catholic household and my family is constantly going to serve at homeless dinners and work at local shelters but I was never truly changed by these experiences until my trip to Mexico. Through this experience I learned that sometimes giving to others benefits me more than I expected.

For my random act of kindness, I helped a stranger who ran out of gas on the highway. A young woman riding a bicycle waived my husband and me down in front of the Support Site gate. She began to explain to us that she had run out of gas on the highway near the Carinaro exit, and needed assistance getting to the closest gas station. Usually, I am a naturally suspicious person and would have made up some reason for not being able to help her but this time I figured why not. The women got into my car and we began heading to the nearest gas station. During our ride, we exchanged pleasantries and made small talk.

On December 22, I volunteered with Centre 55 through Minga. Our group put together boxes of food and moved supplies into trucks to be brought to where we would donate them. These boxes had food for a holiday dinner as well as other supplies, that particularly seniors are unable to get themselves. Once we had packed the trucks, we went to a few apartment buildings and brought it to the doors of the people. One challenge was that the boxes were heavy, and we were having a hard time carrying them to people’s doors. My group decided to take turns carrying the heaviest box so that everyone had a chance carrying the lighter bags. When residents of the building saw us, they were happy we were helping out, and this personally motivated me more.

My service has impacted my community by presenting myself to volunteer and help those that are in need of a help. It allows those to learn more about there is a citizen out there that is willing to help out. While I was doing my two hour service learning at the Thrift Shop, I was able to broaden my horizon out further than usual. This elder man came up to me after I had just placed a heavy couch onto the back of his truck; he thanked me so much and kept thanking God that everything fell right into place. He began telling me how he traveled all the way from Chapel Hill just to pick up this particular couch for his youngest daughter. He was very devastated by the fact no one was able to go with him to pick up this couch. He was concerned of how

Instead of being in the library or at school, I was out on the road with the underground passing out food and water to the homeless. It was my idea to bring out food for those who couldn’t get to us. There were a lot of people who were disabled and barely able to move who needed help.

“I began learning long ago that those who are the happiest are those who do the most for others.” Booker T. Washington’s wise words accurately summarize what I learned throughout high school. I noticed that selfish people are the unhappiest and most discontent. In sharp contrast, I also observed that people who dedicate their lives to others are the most joyful and satisfied. People I admire tend to be selfless and servant-minded. I strive to mimic them, living with a selfless mindset. My special interests, talents, and unique experiences enabled me to make others’ lives better.

There has always been a special place in my heart for helping others, and when the opportunity arose, I took it. We collected items for students who are less fortunate in my district and then distributed them to each school for those kids in need, especially in the winter months. The results of this project gave a sense of value to those kids as well as a satisfaction for myself and those involved in the project. The students know that there are people in this community that want to help them and make them feel like any normal student because they do not always get that feeling. By receiving this assistance it gives the kids a sense of value and they are more likely to perform better in school because someone believed in them to succeed. Every child should have this feeling of success and I want to help nurture that feeling in my

We set out flyers in our high school in October which got us a lot of donations for Thanksgiving.We donated those items to the homeless shelter at the city over. However, when we ended our last drive in the second semester, I found myself driving to the homeless shelter with the donations in my car yet again, but then I spotted a homeless woman sitting a curb with only a sign. At that moment, I decided to that instead of simply giving these away to a random shelter, I will give to those in my own community. I pulled over and took out a couple of cans from the trunk, I hand it to her and she was so happy. Though this wouldn’t be the safest option, it the felt the helpful one. I gave out my donations to homeless people in my community for almost a month till the donations ran

I received a monstrous amount of gratitude for helping with tasks both large and small. Although I was advised that it was accurate that people should not directly provide homeless people with money because it may end up being used on harmful objects, I became more and more sympathetic to the homeless each day. I learned how to aid them safely and effectively by volunteering in shelters and food pantries and by buying necessities to give directly to people in need. I did feel guilty for my initial feelings, but I was glad that I finally understood what the circumstances were actually like. I became more appreciative for what I had and planned to tell everyone I could about my experiences so that they, too, would feel compelled to lend a helping hand to the

I love to help as much as I can with anything possible. The biggest thing that i've done to help my whole community is donate blood. I love doing this because it can help anyone, since I have O- blood it can be donated to anyone. I always feel superior knowing I helped save a life and one day I know someone is going to help me. It's the whole giving and getting back thing because it's not about donation, it's about making a difference. My biggest self-importance is helping people either physically or mentally and this is one big way to help in both categories. The steps I took to accomplish this is focusing on the lives I may help and looking at the differences I can make may last a lifetime. I was inspired by learning in medical class that

I believe the small things make the biggest difference in a community. Over the years, I have served many, worthy volunteer organizations. From lobbying to the state legislators on bills to alleviate hunger in our communities, to serving lunch at the local senior center, to assisting disabled children at sporting events, I’ve enjoyed many opportunities to make a difference on a large scale. But one ordinary day, I did something I am truly proud of and I think it made my community a better place. I was driving home from work one afternoon during the summer. It was hot by San Diego standards; the temperature approaching more than 90 degrees. As I neared my home, there was a team of workers digging trenches to install reclaimed water pipes

Outside of my salon there was a man asking for money for food and drink. I typically do not give homeless money due to the fact that you never really know where the money will end up. However, right beside my hair salon there is a coffee shop called Honey Bun. I went inside and bought the man a water and a sandwich. When I gave the man the food and drink, he was completely astounded. He was extremely thankful for the fact that I had went and purchased these items for him. For me it was a great feeling to do this, I am very fortunate with all the blessing I have and it is my right to give back to the people who are not as fortunate as me. I was extremely happy that I was able to make the mans day and put a smile on his face by performing this act. You never know why these people are on the streets, there are multitudes of reasons, so it is terrible to assume why they are there. The man was so thankful when I gave him the water and the sandwich, he was not going to even let me give them to him as he said it was to much. After I set them down beside him, he thanked me many more times and had a huge smile on his face. Out of all three acts this was the most rewarding for

The first random act of kindness that I have performed this first nine weeks was that I paid for the person behind me at Chick-fil-a. I had just gotten a sweet tea and some fries, so I paid for the person behind me. It made me feel like I had made someone’s day better, and I really hope that the person would pass it on and make someone else’s day better. I don’t really know how it made the other person feel because I didn’t get to talk to them about it, being that we were both in the drive-through.