Springdale Junior/Senior High School
Senior? Yes
Elite top 100? Yes
Letters of recommendation: Letter of Recommendation 1, Letter of Recommendation 2
Some of my fondest memories as a child are at my birthday parties, being able to celebrate with my friends and family. It may seem superficial to some, but what they don’t realize is that others do not always have the opportunity to enjoy this special occasion with their loved ones. In the eighth grade, I was lucky enough to meet a woman, named Megs Yunn, who taught me just how important birthdays are.
At the time, Megs had recently created a nonprofit organization, called Beverly’s Birthdays, with a goal to help children experiencing homelessness and families in need. She told me what inspired her to form the organization. The story was about a girl, named Beverly, whose family was impoverished and was unable to celebrate her birthday. Megs vowed to help children like Beverly feel special by throwing birthday parties at family centers and homeless shelters, where they spent most of their time. I started my volunteer work with her and the organization in small ways.
I began by making treat bags and cupcakes for the parties and after that, I began to actually help at them too. Today, I not only do those things, but I create my own fundraisers, such as a Harry Potter Festival and Pancake Breakfast, in order to raise over $7,000 for the organization. I not only raise money for them, but I set up and manage tables and information sessions in order to spread awareness.
In recent years I have been able to spend more time at the parties and understand just how fortunate I am to learn from these kids. Learning some of the adversities that they have faced makes me truly appreciate what I have, but also inspires me to do more. At this point, I have volunteered over 250 hours of service to this worthy organization, but I feel that the time I have spent helping these families is small in comparison to what they have taught me. This gives me great satisfaction knowing that I’m not only helping them, but they are also helping me become a better person.
I truly feel that I am making a difference in the lives of these children and their families, and I want to continue to do more. It would make me proud to see how these children are doing in the future, and how this organization, hopefully, made a positive impact on them. I would also hope to, one day find, my own inspiration to help someone in need and make a positive impact in the future. Although I may not pursue a life in a nonprofit business, I hope to help others through my future career or continue to volunteer with organizations like Beverly’s Birthdays. This organization and these people have helped me in so many ways and I hope that in the future I can say that I created an impact as great as theirs was on me.
