Volunteering Reflection Essay

Winston Churchhill once said, “We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.” I didn’t truly believe this statement until I started volunteering at Kid’s Café.
Four years ago, the leaders at my church, Jamestown United Methodist, felt a need to step beyond our church doors and help our community. After searching for a location, they selected Parkview Elementary School, a Title I, highly impacted, low income school with a high percentage of free and reduced lunch students. After planning for a year, we opened Kids’ Café at Parkview right next to my high school, Penn Griffin School for the Arts. I knew I wanted to volunteer. Many of the middle school students at my school went through Parkview so I wanted to help out their siblings or the other future Penn Griffin students.
Kid's Café provides snacks, homework help, play time, and dinner for 25 kids every school day. This has proven to be a great opportunity for me, opening my eyes to where I hopefully make a difference. Recently, I was helping a child complete her math homework which was completing test corrections. These corrections included selecting the correct answer and explaining why you initially picked the wrong answer. Realizing she was completely lost, I offered my help. At first I seemed to be giving her
Through volunteering I have gained awareness of the diversity within my own small community. I always knew that children in America faced hunger, homelessness and sub-par home environments, but I didn't realize I lived so close to the situation. Kid's Café not only raised personal awareness for me, but also made me realize I can do something to make a change in my community. Helping my community will definitely not stop after leaving high school, as I hope to help whatever community I may be in for the rest of my life. I now fully believe that life is not about being served, but about serving