A Community For All Ages by Brooklyn

A Community For All Ages by Brooklyn - April 2022 Scholarship Essay

My university email had pinged for the millionth time that day. It was probably another student survey, college fair, or homework assignment, I thought. Instead I opened an enthusiastic email screaming at me to “Sign Up For ‘The Big Event’”. What even is this event, and what about it is so big? I scrolled down the page and discovered The Big Event was just a fancy name for a community service project. Feeling uninvolved on my campus, I signed up to participate. After all, the hours would look good on my resume.
On the morning of The Big Event, I woke up and ate my breakfast on my drive to the job site. My thirty minute trip took me to a quiet, hidden neighborhood where the houses were centered around a park. I met my group leader and immediately learned that The Big Event was centered around joining with others to complete community service projects. On the day that I was volunteering, there were over 4,000 other students serving at almost 200 job sites throughout the Oklahoma City area. Personally, I had the privilege of joining with elderly people from this neighborhood to clean up the park. They had decided to take on this task after Oklahoma City stopped maintaining the park. We restored two flower beds and cleaned trash out of the creek area. I loved my group because they worked with us rather than just observing. They also bought us lunch from Sonic. Four hours later, I returned to my Jeep with sweat and dirt covering my body, a grateful heart, and a new realization.
During my first year of college, I realized that involvement requires effort. High school is full of required volunteer projects, but college truly separates those who enjoy serving others from those who may be committed to other activities. The biggest lesson I learned during this experience is that community service creates a community for all ages. The experience of the elderly and the work ethic of the college students created the perfect team for success- and a beautiful neighborhood park.