Hey guys! I hope that your Spring Break went well! As Spring Break is coming to an end, I wanted to share a volunteering experience that I had during the week.
I have to admit that I have been lacking a bit in volunteering this school year. To fix that, I made it a goal to rack up as many hours as I could over break. Usually, I am busy on Sundays, but luckily I was free, so I decided to go to Allies in Youth with a few friends. I’m not gonna lie, whenever we first got there, it was so awkward. I was so tense and timid since it was my first time, and everyone already knew what they were doing. However, luckily the people in charge were extremely kind and patient as they helped us get situated. What we did was pack boxes with clothes and supplies to send to orphans in Eastern Europe. As we were doing so, we got to know the members from other Key Clubs. They were all really nice! Even that guy that kept on scaring me with a rubber chicken.
As we were packing boxes, they gathered everyone together to take a picture. I thought that it was just to document the day, but they later passed out paper copies to us. They explained that they pack these in the boxes because the orphans like hanging them on their walls. Since they don’t have any family, they kind of view us as their family. I'm not sure why, maybe I was just feeling extra vulnerable that day, but that hit me so hard. For me, it was just 2 hours taken out of my Sunday, a day that I probably won't remember in a few days. But for the children receiving the boxes, it will affect them for a long period.
Yes, I'm aware that this sounds like one of those cheesy stories where the main character does something for a superficial reason, ends up getting an epiphany, and becomes the most selfless person to walk the face of the Earth. However, I feel like that’s what happened to me (although not that dramatic). Although I went there just to accumulate more service hours, I ended up having so much fun there. I will admit, during this school year, I felt as if I lost my love for volunteering. However, after this day, it reminded me of why I love volunteering so much. Meeting new people, hanging out with friends, helping others, it really opens your eyes. I know that it made a difference not only for me but for my friends as well. When my friend got home, she immediately raided her closet for old clothes to donate to Allies in Youth. I promise you this isn't an advertisement, but I hope it convinced you to volunteer there. If you go there over the summer, I guarantee that you'll see me there. :)
Yours in Service,
Madison Nguyen
