Hempfield Area High School
Senior? Yes
Elite top 100? Yes
Letters of recommendation: Letter of Recommendation 1, Letter of Recommendation 2
For most of my life, I have been actively engaged in my community. To me, volunteerism means that I can use my time, skills, and resources to put my community first, ease the burden of others, and learn something new. Each time I participate in a service event, I am learning something new that I later apply into my life or next volunteer activity. My definition of volunteerism can best be seen through my Eagle Scout project and role as National Honor Society (NHS) Vice President.
I began volunteering when I joined Cub Scouts in the 1st grade. Back then “Doing a Good Turn Daily” was just a part of the program, but doing that small good deed soon became a habit that led to larger good turns and ultimately resulted in the completion of my Eagle Scout project. For my project, I led a large landscaping renovation at my church that entailed removing shrubs and rocks; weeding; replanting hundreds of daffodil bulbs and numerous perennials; planting new shrubs; trimming trees; mulching the beds; planting grass; building a bench, and much more. This lengthy project eased the burden of the older parish workers so they could focus their time and effort into other projects that would not be as difficult for them to complete. Knowing that I was helping to beautify my church and giving back to the workers was the underlying catalyst that led me to the ultimate completion of the project. I gained skills of how to organize, delegate, and lead a project which I in turn used throughout this past school year, especially as the NHS Vice President.
In my role as Vice President, I recently created, organized, and led the first “Spread the Love” Bake Sale to benefit the Ronald McDonald House and a classmate battling Encephalitis. I utilized the skills gained from my time doing my Eagle Project to find the most effective way with preparing for the bake sale. After garnering help from NHS, Student Council, and Yearbook, spreading the word through announcements, and taking time out of my school day to make sure everything was organized, we raised a total of $800 for the two beneficiaries. There’s no greater feeling than knowing that something I did will ease someone else’s troubles.
Throughout the years, I have volunteered in numerous ways: food drives; park clean ups; car washes; assisting other scouts with their Eagle Projects; working at my church’s fish fry; helping with the Feeding the Spirit program, to name a few. By volunteering, I have not only learned organizational, leadership, and time management skills, but also empathy and compassion for others. Because volunteering has positively impacted me, I know that I will continue to always do a good turn daily. By volunteering now, I will be prepared for wherever my future takes me.