You step out of the ringing door of Starbucks and notice a boy on crutches approaching the entrance, so you stretch out your fingers to hold back the door from closing. Once you begin walking down the street, you spot the bus just rolling up to the curb. You bolt toward its steaming engine, so the driver stretches out its stop so you can step on. A young girl uses that extra time to pick up a crumpled dollar on the floor before stepping off onto the sidewalk, and drops the extra cash into the Styrofoam cup of a nearby homeless man. The man smiles for the first time that day, and decides to satiate his thirst with a cup of coffee from the bake sale that—guess what?—you are running.
Of course, good deeds may not always get returned to us in this way; yet one must never underestimate the value of an act of kindness. As William James once said, “Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.” I hold this as a life lesson, but recently it has come to my attention that some students are more apprehensive to start serving their community. While some have been raised with community service as a norm, others have been unable to find their niche within the volunteering community and therefore have been less motivated to find time to volunteer. Why spend hours of precious time volunteering—why do good?
There will always be a need for volunteers, and there are many types of community service to become involved in. Volunteering can mean participating in a walk against Cancer or MS, preparing and serving meals to the hungry, building houses for the homeless, packaging meals for the hospitalized, codling rescued kittens at the local animal shelter, setting up a holiday party for mentally disabled residents, or even just playing bingo with some folks at the nearby elderly home. No matter the project, you may be putting yourself in a new experience, taking on responsibilities, forming plans and setting goals, working with others as a team, and discovering passions along the way.
For example, this summer before school started I participated in Boston University Community Service Center’s First Year Student Opportunity Project (FYSOP), a week program preceding fall semester which engages its volunteers in community service. My issue area was homelessness and housing. Though I had never before painted the inside of a house, I spent hours with my newfound friends dipping my roller into primer and slapping the sticky substance to the wall of a church which would soon house many homeless families. Through stepping out of my comfort zone of abilities, I found that I could take on this new experience. I’d like to encourage you to do the same.
Never be afraid to meet new people. I have found that those who involve themselves in the community are some of the nicest, most open and accepting people I know. Recently, I attended Boston University’s Alternative Spring Break program. I spent a week in Washington DC, volunteering at the food banks Capitol One Area Food Bank and Food and Friends. The students who attended this program with me were from all different states, with multicultural backgrounds (we spoke 17 languages among the 15 of us!), and multifarious past experiences. Yet, our passion for service transcended any of these differences. We immediately felt comfortable sharing even the most embarrassing of stories with each other—we even knew who clogged the toilet! Working within the issue area of hunger and public health, we also became increasingly aware of the situations of those less fortunate than us. Our eyes were opened to the biting reality of cancer prevalence and the unsubstantial HIV and AIDES awareness and treatments. Any of the victims we learned about or any of the people who we packaged boxes for in the food banks were just that—people. They may have had different experiences than us, but, as our group had learned, there are so many other ways to identify with those around us.
Community service requires a great deal of leadership, allows for problem solving and the sharing of ideas, shows your concern for relevant global issues, and provides an inspiring example for other potential volunteers. So enrich your education, uncover new skills, and increase confidence in yourself as a devoted worker. Step out of your comfort zone, meet new people, and find your passion. Who knows? Perhaps one day you will need a door opened or a bus to stop, and your good deeds will come back your way.