Artifact Club Personal Narrative

“We are Chicago's Jesuit Catholic university - a diverse community seeking God in all things and working to expand knowledge in the service of humanity through learning, justice, and faith.” In attempt to fulfill this mission as a student of Loyola University of Chicago, I decided to volunteer at the Lakeview Pantry. Personally, I believe that this was the most efficient way to effectively volunteer while being myself. I aim to either cultivate or participate in physical change, and at Lakeview, I could.

This past summer, I acquired an internship at Baldwin and Lyons, an insurance company in Indianapolis. Every Wednesday during my internship, a couple of employees and I would participate in a prodigious community service project, Meals on Wheels. Throughout the three months that I worked at Baldwin and Lyons, I got acquainted with some of the individuals whom we delivered to. These inspiring individuals were so grateful and appreciative that we took time out of our day to volunteer to do such a service. One elderly woman who we delivered to would sing to us as she came to the front door “good meals, good meals, good meals.” She is one woman that I will never forget. First going into this, I was elated knowing I was I getting out of the

BETA Club and National Honor Society promote academic excellence and service, therefore I have helped in several events. For example, I gathered boxes filled with toys for impoverished children. Also, I helped host a dinner to honor local veterans in an effort to give thanks to those who have sacrificed everything in the name of service. Interact Club has also given me ample opportunities to help my community, from setting up a food drive to making blankets for Project Linus. These clubs instilled a strong sense of service within me and motivated me to find more ways to which to help my town.

Since I first delved into community service two years ago, I have not only found a passion for helping others, but also a sense of belonging. After my freshman year of highschool, I was lacking direction. I had no idea what I wanted to involve myself in, but I knew I wanted to start something to help people. Therefore, my friends and I created our own charity, The Pink Bowz. Since 2015, I have worked in my community to expand this organization which helps women battling breast cancer. The Pink Bowz has since completed approximately 200 hours of community service and donated over $5000 to five women in the Hampstead - Wilmington area. Through this experience I found a passion for the fundraising process. I campaigned at my school to start a

In the course of my time at Union County College, I was able to participate in measures that aided my community and those in need. I took part in the donation and creation of care bags which were donated to the Salvation Army. This initiative was made by AESNJ as part of their statewide drive to help those who lack the resources needed to obtain day to day necessities such as hygienic supplies, socks, tissues and other essentials. Additionally, I made a financial contribution which went towards aiding Syrian children. Helping individuals in need encouraged me to participate in Strides against Breast Cancer a walkathon which generated money for women whose lives were impacted by cancer. The financial donations assisted women who were unable

Clubs specializing in volunteering, truly trying to combat the problem such as Key Club while also working in unison with other clubs such as Model UN and Spanish Club. Volunteering is essential in eradicating the problem of homelessness in our community. Although volunteering at many places over high school such as Honor Flight assisting war veterans for a flight to Washington D.C to visit war memorials, for the Eastern Farm Workers Association helping make tamales to sell during superbowl week, at the school such as Tillie’s Touch collecting sports equipment and giving it to children in need, or making sandwiches for the homeless, by far the one that has had the most impact on me has been the Samaritan Center. Volunteering at the Samaritan Center, although the process being rigorous trying to volunteer there is worth it due to having an amazing and eye opening experience. Facing the problem head on opens your eyes to reality and truly makes you

I feel that after all of the sacrifices that have been made by the community for my benefit, I have an obligation to give back and re-pay what has been given and more, I have an immense amount of appreciation and gratitude toward my community and all they have done for my peers and I. Community service also plays a big role in my involvement in the youth group at First Baptist Church of Bryson City. each year, a group of teenagers, including myself, participate in multiple community service projects -- whether they are as close to home as the Hospital Hill Road clean-up, or a far away as mission work in Port-au-Prince, haiti. I have been involved in many community service projects, because giving back to my community is something that simply gets done without

My faith in humanity compels me to help people. I aspire to enhance the quality of life for people on an international level. The world has a way of interconnecting people to form communities. I believe these communities unite the world as a whole, working together to terminate cancer, combat diseases, and extinguish poverty. Changing the lives of human beings fuels my desire to pursue a career in medicine.

My drive to help others stems from my time volunteering with the service organization, Rotary, and their leadership program, Camp RYLA. When I attended this camp as a high schooler, I learned invaluable lessons of self-confidence and connecting with others, traits seldom found in a high school environment. My experience at this program inspired me to return as a counselor, where I have been helping foster the growth of today’s youth for the past four years.

I have participated in the program Lunch Is Served, held at the First United Methodist Church in Sioux Falls. The goal of this program is to gather volunteers to pack lunches to aid the working poor, ultimately fixing the major hunger problem in Sioux Falls. I have attended this volunteer opportunity five times, and plan to volunteer again in the future. Essentially, those who participate pack as many brown paper bag lunches as possible in a streamlined fashion. Included in the bag is usually various nutritious snacks and a wrapped sandwich that will be given to those in need. My experiences there was very humbling, due to the fact that it made me realize the impact one person can have on the community. All it takes is a half hour of

Throughout my research on MIFA I have learned just how much of an impact the organization has had in combating the hunger in Memphis. MIFA is a pillar of our community both from the work it does to serve senior and families in crisis, and by brining our community together in the vision of a better Memphis. Those who give to and through MIFA care little about being recognized for donations, but receive satisfaction from knowing their service helps those who desperately need it. Their work has inspired me to sacrifice some of my weekends to help volunteer in the near future so I can do my

The goal of the Interact Club is to promote active community service on both the local and international levels. As president of the club, I have cooperated with the advisor, Mrs. Laskoski, and the Goshen Rotary Club, to

One of the artifacts that tell my story is a pair of red shoes. They are small, red shoes, with an embroidered flower and a Velcro strap. They were my first pair of shoes when I started walking. These shoes were bought in Chile, where I was born. This is just one of the many artifacts that reveals my origin.

On a cold, windy day early in eighth grade, I went with my Sunday School class to a soup kitchen as a service project. We were assigned to distribute food in the dining room, and told to carefully watch who received each bowl of stew—some people would try to confuse us to get seconds, the head volunteers said. For two hours, we handed out bowls, bread, and even cookies to old, depressed men; young boys struggling with speaking English; stress-heavy pregnant women and everyone in between. Families with children who looked my age were there, and from this I realized that anyone could fall into this situation, unable to pay for food: the distance between myself and the young girls I saw disappeared with each second I interacted with them. This kind of poverty wasn’t something that just was, it was

The issue we have chosen to address with the service project is that many innocent people are living in poverty and it isn’t right to live that way due to their low income, which leads to decreasing the individual 's happiness and reduce their ability to thrive and succeed. By this issue, there are people affected because many families can’t supply the right items or supplies for themselves due to low income. According to the United States Census Bureau, in 2014, about 46.7 million people are suffering from this issue alone in the United States. The number of people living in poverty is slightly rising each year. Yet, organizations such as the Family Giving Tree and the Milpitas Food Pantry exist to address the issue we picked.