Can volunteering really make a difference in your future and in others’ lives?
By Nicole Segui
Earlier in my Freshman year, I decided to volunteer at Timber Lakes Elementary School. I reached out to the Extended Day Coordinator to see if I could assist after high school dismissal. This opportunity really helps with any students future and it gets you many hours for your Bright Future scholarship which is really beneficial in the future and on top of that creates amazing bonds with the children that you will cherish forever.
Volunteering can help any student with their future and it is available to everyone at Timber Creek. At Timber Creek there is a guidance building near the front office and inside there is a paper near the wall that has the log for your hours and instructions on what you need to do to begin them. You first need to pick the location of where you are going to volunteer and then you need to contact the person in charge and ask permission for you being there. Once that is complete, you then must complete an essay about how your volunteering helps society and how it is beneficial to the people you are assisting. This also really helps with your bright futures scholarship and if you go volunteer at least a few hours every day, you will complete your hundred hours in no time!
In addition, colleges and universities love seeing how you put your time and effort in helping people and these hours really help with your applications later. Depending on where you volunteer it can be a way for you to see if that type of job interests you. For example, if one were to volunteer at a school, it can help them to see if that is what they would like to be in the future and if they find that they don’t like it then they know that that is not a job for them to apply for and they go look for a different type.
When people volunteer at Timber Lakes Elementary they feel like that is something they are willing to do in the future. Freshman Gabriella Borriello volunteers at Timber Lakes Elementary. She explained what she liked about volunteering there. “Just being able to see that over time you build a relationship with the kids and being able to see if that is the type of career I would like to pursue in the future,” Borriello said. This shows how beneficial volunteering opportunities can be for your future but they can also be very beneficial to the society.
Volunteering can be so much more than just earning hours for college. It can also impact many people’s lives. For example, volunteering at an elementary school can be so beneficial to society in many ways. Sadly we live in a society that a lot of parents need to have two jobs to pay their bills or they spend a lot of time outside of the house. This situation at home does not permit that children feel connected with their parents and they feel like they don’t have someone to talk to about how their day was or if they need assistance with their homework. Volunteering at Timber Lakes can make a difference in a child’s life because it can teach one patience, commitment and compassion. Volunteers that work at the elementary school love to assist the kids and shadow counselors. 9th grader Tin Tran says, “Creating friendships with the students and becoming part of the Timber Lakes Extended Day family is what I love about volunteering.” This shows that being a part of a community shows unity between others and that is something all volunteers can enjoy being a part of. Not only do volunteers get to have fun/bonding relationship with the kids at Timber Lakes, they also get to meet new people in the elementary school staff and have a connection with helping others.
All students of Timber Creek can participate in making a change in many children’s lives while also improving their education and their future. Although many students are there to volunteer for Bright Futures they also love going because they know that they are making a difference in society by helping the children throughout the day and making sure that they know that they are loved.
Getting Students Attention! 9th grader Gabriella Borriello told 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders at Timber Lakes Elementary about recycling and how beneficial it would be to society if we all put just a little effort. She said, “My goal for this talk/presentation about recycling was to inform the students about an important issue/necessity that everyone should try to achieve more.” Photo donated