Free Write: EDU: Volunteering!

"I was taught that the world had a lot of problems; that i could struggle and change them; that intellectual and material gifts brought the privilege and responsibility of sharing with others less fortunate; and that service is the rent each of us pays for living, the very purpose of life and not something you do in your spare time or after you have reached your personal goals." 

I have always been an involved person since i can remember. As a child my parents used to take us to volunteer at walks, and charity events all the time for various causes. I grew up understanding that volunteering was a good deed that doesn't require a pat on the back or any recognition.  

In middle school i was involved in after school activities and of course dance class everyday after school. When i got to high school i was on the track and field team and i danced everyday after school after practice, i was also the editor of the yearbook junior and senior year, i was on the latin JCL team, peer mentors, helping hands, SADD, service crew, both the musicals, as well as volunteered outside school with MADD including MADD Youth Leadership Power Camp every summer. Being involved and volunteering was just something i did-it makes me who i am, and i enjoy it! 

When i got to college i decided to join Habitat for Humanity because i had always wanted to volunteer with habitat but my high school didn't have a habitat chapter. While in habitat i had the opportunity to go on builds in the new haven and hamden area as well as 2 spring break trips in 2010 and 2011. These experiences were some of my very best times in college. I held office on the E-board of Habitat for 2009-2010 school year as the Treasurer. During the same year i was also the treasurer of Southern's Future Teachers Organization where i attended CEA (Connecticut Education Association) once a month on friday nights where we had the opportunity to sit in a board room in hartford with CEA state members and discuss education as well as plan events for the connecticut universities: SCSU, CCSU, QU, UCONN, ECSU, and WCSU. This was an experience like no other, i really looked forward to those late night friday meetings every month to talk about the career i have always been so passionate about! because of my office position and my subsequent affiliation with NEA and CEA i was able to volunteer with kids at schools as well as attend conferences with elementary school teachers. 

After getting into Delta Phi Epsilon sorority on southerns campus i decided to run for a position my first semester and for this year i was the coordinator of community service! i was able to coordinate community service for our chapter to participate in! This year we were able to participate in the day of service with SCSU service team, we made cards for the troops, mailed care packages to the troops, wrote cards to the hartford children's hospital, wrote personal cards to 3 girls on the website 'make a child smile', held 3 American Red Cross Blood Drive's on campus, and are working on planning an event at a elder care facility to have a tea party where we do arts and crafts and get to know them! 

We just finished our 3rd and final blood drive of the year! in total this year over 900 lives were saved from the 3 blood drives that were held on southerns campus. 

I have always known community service as a part of life, i try and live by the quotation: 

"Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you." -Princess Diana

I whole-heartidly believe that if everyone were to give to others and do nice things for others then the world would be a better place.