Community Service: Week Two

Today was the end of Community Service: Week Two. I was not able to officially do any volunteer work this week. Therefore, I have decided to write a generalized reflection.

As I was traveling home, I began to think about the public's view of organized community service. We always praise those people who are motivated to donate their time to volunteer work, but we never seem to be able to follow their example. I have mixed feelings about all of this. At first, all I could think was, 'All of these people are hypocrites. How can they talk about how important it is when they do not even do it themselves?' Then, after a while, I realized that I do the same thing. I have always respected volunteers and have always emphasized their work in my leadership roles, but I have not taken the time to volunteer as much as I could have. So, how was I different from the people I was criticizing? That is an easy answer. I wasn't.

Through my experiences with the Youth Advisory Board and the Humane society, I have realized just how much work and time it takes to volunteer. These places run on very little money and even less help. They rely on those who are willing to donate time and/ or money to help those in need. I know that, as an active college student, I have found it hard to fit in just these few hours a week. Think about those people who go to school, work full time, raise a family, and volunteer. That should be something we all strive for.