Your Community wants YOU!

I was fortunate enough to have my mom be a stay at home mom. Although one might first assume she spent her day sitting on the couch watching tv and eating bon bons, that was certainly not the case. For my entire elementary school career, I watched my mom take part in many aspects of my school. I recall her coming into my 1st grade classroom, as a homeroom mom, teaching my class to make Christmas wreaths out of construction paper and dried pasta. As a member of the PTA, she showed me how to be a participant of a committee and the hard work involved in working in the community. I think my life of community service began simply as helping my mom with her involvement, but as I grew up and discovered how rewarding it is and I started taking the initiative to work in the community for myself.

Both of my parents instilled in me the philosophy that when you are a member of a community it is vital that you give back in any way you can. When you see problems or injustices arise, it is important to stand up for your convictions and be a leader in change. For example, my father became involved in our homeowners association when he saw that the committee was not making decisions with the neighborhoods best interest in mind. Instead of complaining about the associations activities, he took a stand and became a part of the change.

When I am participating in community service, whether it is at a soup kitchen or Horse's Help, I have the ability to put myself in the other person's shoes (despite of their size). I always find some way to connect with the people I am working with regardless of what their situation is. At Horse's Help, even though I do not have a severe mental or physical disability like the kids I work with, I do know the importance of compassion.

Also I am able to accept any position or duty assigned to me when I am a part of a cause. While at Horse's Help this past Saturday I dug a 4 inch deep patio area and swept the floor. Yes, ideally I would like to work directly with the kids but I know that whatever I do while I am there is beneficial to the kids.