"Everybody can be great. Because anybody can serve...You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love." This quote by Martin Luther King, Jr. emphasizes the fact that anyone can serve his community. I have been blessed with several opportunities to serve, which include: volunteering at a local hospital, assisting an autistic peer, assisting an elementary school teacher, and serving pizza at a skateboarding outreach.
Working at a local hospital as a Junior Volunteer was an awesome way to spend several summers. I was able to help in the gift shop cleaning, stocking, and pricing merchandise and in the cancer center directing patients, stocking, and mailing letters. I also helped with the bake sale raising money to continue the volunteer program. I found out about the program through one of my friends who participated a few years before I did. I learned that helping others is very rewarding.
At the beginning of my freshman year of highschool, one of my teachers asked another classmate and me if we would help teach her autisitic daughter ("M") some social skills. She told us that it was recommended for a peer to teach them rather than a parent, so once a week during our study halls we went through a book with M which contained various lessons on etiquette. Helping M  taught me that even though she has a neurological disorder, she is still a person with thoughts and feelings just like the rest of us! During the time we spent with M, I believe we were able to instill in her some knowledge of the social skills that don't come naturally to her.
The other four weekdays I spent my study halls as the 1st and 2nd grades teacher's aide. I graded papers and decorated the classroom. I had so much fun coming up with ideas to transform the classroom. The most thrilling part was seeing the kids' reactions to new decorations hanging from the ceiling. I learned that making others happy causes me to be happy too. I hope that I made the teacher's load lighter and the children's class time happier.
Every Wednesday from 4-6 (weather permitting) my dad runs a skateboarding outreach. When he first started this ministry, I tried to skateboard myself. When that didn't work out so well, I began helping out instead. Since then I've made cookies, delivered and served pizza, set up ramps, and played with the younger kids. By helping with this outreach , I've seen the positive difference that one can make by simply caring about others.
I'm grateful that I've had these different opportunities to help others. Volunteering at a hospital, helping M, assisting the 1st and 2nd grades, and supporting my dad's outreach have helped me realize the importance of giving back to my community. I want to continue to serve others in any way that I can.