Autism Speaks: Community Analysis

I completed my community service for the Autism Speaks U 5K run/3K walk, which was located at Kendrick Park in downtown Amherst. The mission of this organization is to spread awareness and fund research for autism, and there are 4 pillars which are research, awareness, advocate, and family services. This organization serves children with autism who live anywhere in the nation and are the younger demographic, but can be any race/ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status, and group identity. I am different from the people served because I do not have autism, but I understand that it is a disorder that is not very well understood, so it is monumental to try to change that by finding causes and treatments for autism to help families of children suffering
It improves intellectual wellness because seeking new experiences and challenges is healthy and encourages you to get outside your comfort zone by participating in scholastic, cultural, and community activities that will help you learn about others and yourself. Spiritual wellness results when you find meaning and purpose in your niche in the community; rather than focusing all your efforts on yourself, you realize there is a bigger world out there that needs your talent and skill and you find that working in a community is very meaningful and worthwhile. Being connected to a community also improves occupational wellness, because if you love what you do, then you are more motivated to achieve even greater work every day and not limit yourself. It improves social wellness because you learn to develop encouraging relationships with peers, create a support network, and perform social roles effectively and comfortably. Emotional wellness is also benefited because you begin to realize that your stresses are not unique to you, and there are people who understand what you are going through which can help ease the stress you are currently dealing with. Physical wellness can be impacted as well, since being involved in a community makes you want to stay healthy and be an active participant, and others’ health habits can influence your own decisions. Two things I learned in implementing my community service project that I may be able to use in the future are that volunteers are a significant part of the community, and that it doesn’t take special skills to work as a volunteer, but it is important to bring your enthusiasm and have an open mind. If I could volunteer with any organization in the world and work for any cause, it would be to work for Best Friends Animal Society, which seeks to end the