By Serving Others, You Gain More Than You Give by Carson

By Serving Others, You Gain More Than You Give by Carson - December 2019 Scholarship Essay

Initially, I required service hours for religious education and learned my library needed summer chess coaches. I had also been grudgingly forced to stop playing sports that summer, due to recurrently dislocating my knee, and was looking for something else to do which didn't require physical activity. However, once I started volunteering, I was surprised to find I really enjoyed it and wanted to continue beyond my service obligations. Since 2015, I have now volunteered 310+ hours at the Indian Prairie Public Library.

During this time, I have served on the Teen Advisory Board and Gaming Committee, which developed and implemented K-12 youth programs. I have taught thousands of kids chess, gardening, sewing, rocketry, robotics, computer-aided drafting and design, 3-D printing, coding, crafts, reading, math, and many other skills. Additionally, I have served as a program aide at movie nights, petting zoos, campouts, seed exchanges and events like Lego Fest or Minecraft Mini-Con.

Utilizing these experiences, I simultaneously worked as a Teen Intern for 99 hours in the summer of 2019. In this role, I helped to lead and develop programs both in the library and in the community, conducting educational outreach programs at the Willowbrook Corner Summer Camp for 72 underprivileged youth. This was a tremendous opportunity for me to develop leadership skills, and learn more about program planning, implementation, and evaluation. It was also an amazing chance for these children to be engaged in STEAM learning and exposed to all the library has to offer beyond books.

All of the recreational and educational activities the library hosts are free and available to the entire community. Some of the programs I have been involved with also provide food and clothing for the needy in our community. For three years, the Giving Tree collected over 250 items each year to benefit the Community House at Willowbrook Corner. The Prairie Patch sensory and play garden has 40 raised beds where we provide hands-on education to kids about food production and environmental conservation, but it also generates hundreds of pounds of produce each year that is given away to food pantries.

Within these larger group experiences, there have been many smaller instances where I could make a difference for one person. For example, this summer, a boy was crying during day camp because he lost his homework. I asked my supervisor if I could play checkers with him until his guardian arrived. Within minutes he had calmed down and we were able to find his homework together.It makes me feel good to do good.

By volunteering at the library, not only have I learned tangible skills that will help me in my career, but I have become a better leader, a more empathetic communicator, and an active listener. I'm not sure where I will be going to college yet, but wherever I go, I look forward to finding new volunteer opportunities there too. I encourage anyone who can to volunteer because by serving others, you will gain more than you give.