"No-Knock" by Dalen

"No-Knock" by Dalen - December 2013 Scholarship Essay

As a child Christmas was always my favorite holiday. Being surrounded by smiling family members, the warmth of fire, and the cheery smell of a fresh cut Christmas tree was always something I looked forward to. I always believed everyone had the same experiences I did when it came to the holiday seasons. It wasn’t until my junior year of high school I fully understood how terribly wrong I had been. This change of understanding started with my leadership teacher explaining the jobs we each had for the canned food drive and how important each job was because it directly helped hungry people in our community. That was the same week I found a quote that inspired me to go beyond what we normally do and attempt to make a tremendous impact on our community. "Never doubt a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."- Margaret Mead, American anthropologist. Due to this quote and a desire to have an impact I asked my leadership teacher if I could be in charge of our “No-Knock” activity. This event is something Sandy High School and our local Kiwanis put together every year to give back to our community. The “No-Knock” activity has taken much of my free time to organize, but in return it has taught me about how blessed I am and how I wish to help make a difference in my community.

Our annual “No-Knock” event is an activity to help collect cans for the canned food drive. High school students put up fliers throughout our community asking them to put cans out on their doorstep along with a time designating when high school students will come around again and pick up the cans. When I volunteered I didn’t understand the scope of the task I was getting myself into. I started by forming a team and separating each of the neighborhoods in my community. I had about three weeks of preparation: I made lists, printed off maps, and made fliers. When the preparation work was finished it was time to search for volunteers to canvas our community. I went to our leadership class, National Honors Society, and Key Club to request help with the hanging of posters and collecting the cans.

Regardless of the hours and amount of time we had to put in to this event it becomes all worth it when delivering the baskets to those in need. Knocking on neighbors, friends, and even families’ doors handing them these baskets opens your eyes to how many are in need. The reward is seeing first-hand the gratitude of someone you have helped. This experience has helped me understand how truly blessed I am for what my family has given me and the support I have had in my life. I want to continue to help others and be a leader and a citizen who inspires others to give and support those who are in need.