The Benefits of Service

Cover image: https://www.niche.com/blog/why-community-service-is-so-important-for-college-admissions/

(Ah yes, another one of my essays, but this time, I had to write it within 40 minutes! Sorry if it's all over the place)

This isn't sponsored by any service organization or charity. I chose to write about this topic. Some of the content has been slightly edited.

One of the best things that you can commit to during your life is volunteering your time

to a service club or charity. Even though being able to serve the community can be difficult

during a global pandemic, there are still ways that you can acknowledge and brighten someone’s day. The period of time where volunteering can be of the utmost importance is during high school and beyond. Although many high school students force themselves to volunteer just to complete community service requirements, doing it voluntarily can be just as rewarding. It makes you feel healthier, gives you an opportunity to meet new people, and it can get your creative juices flowing, especially at a time like this when all types of normal service events are not possible.

Spending your time volunteering can make you a happier person. That feeling of taking

time out of your day to help people you don’t really know, making their day and yours feel a

little more relieving? It is proven that it can make you feel happier, and even combat depression. According to HelpGuide’s “Volunteering and its Surprising Benefits,” “Human beings are hard-wired to give to others. The more we give, the happier we feel.” In other words, us humans have a natural instinct to help others who are in need. By using that instinct, we try our best to make the days of others. Even though the help is received to other people, it can lift our spirits.

Additionally, volunteering can lead you to meet new people. For example, high schoolers

get the chance to make new friends from other schools while giving back to the community via Key Club. Several opportunities that the club provides to its members are service and leadership opportunities within a division, composed of multiple schools from neighboring cities. In American Canyon’s case, Key Club members are able to partake in various activities with students from Benicia, Napa, Vallejo, and Fairfield, making room for new friends in the process. The common belief that caring is a way of life (Key Club International’s motto) paves the way for long-lasting friendships.

During this time when community health is of the utmost importance, service groups are

in a tight spot. Since not all in-person service events can be conducted due to mandatory

protocols, it has forced volunteers to get creative with how they give back. Virtual service is one way to take initiative while giving thanks to frontliners/essential workers. We can make cards for healthcare professionals, record videos of reading with younger siblings, distribute food to families in need using a minimal-contact process, and donate with no money to worldly causes, such as hunger and refugee crises. These are some of the ways that we can still offer help to our community and world while staying safe from the coronavirus.

As can be seen, there are multiple benefits to volunteering to charities and service groups. Volunteers are happier people, have the chance to develop social skills by interacting with new people, and are creative. Try taking time out of your day to give back to a charity or organization in your community! Maybe you will really like it, and it can inspire the people around you to give back.

For more information about Key Club as an international organization, visit keyclub.org.

To access the CNH District Cyberkey, visit cnhkeyclub.org. (we are the largest district in Key Club International! To all high schoolers, please sign up to be a dues-paid member if you can, we would really appreciate it! I promise you won't regret it)

Want to donate without money to combat poverty, empower women, help refugees, and more? Visit arab.org. Don't forget your daily clicks.