By Cindy Guo
In most schools, there is a community service requirement. At my school, you must complete at least 20 hours of community service within your 4 years and at least 100 hours of service to write on your transcript. However, there is a common thing I hear from my classmates that bothers me.
“Community service is so boring.” We live in such a privileged place and often take it for granted. Some people feel annoyed that we should help people and others feel pity for the less fortunate. Others think that community service is limited to playing Mozart for the elderly and donating money to animal shelters. No! Find your passion and volunteer! My passion is working with children, so I volunteer for HEARTS, which is a student-run nonprofit that supports the education of 110 children in China, Tibet, and India. You can gather a group of friends and bring drinks/snacks to policemen and firefighters. Serving your community is an awesome opportunity for you to connect with those around you. Make it fun, not a chore.
Sometimes it can be hard to find organizations to actually help and volunteer for. If you can’t find an organization you like, you can create your own! Some people think that there’s no point in donating to organizations because it just goes in their own pockets anyway. This is a good point. A great way to ensure that your money is going to cause is to bring it directly to the people and situation you’re helping.
Good luck!
