What is the biggest contribution that you have made to your community? by Logan

What is the biggest contribution that you have made to your community? by Logan - January 2024 Scholarship Essay

Logan Hendrickson

I believe I have made a few different impacts on my community. I have constantly tried to give back what I have learned to the community. I have been blessed with several opportunities through sports, education, and experiences, and I would like to give others similar opportunities.
I give back to my community by coaching the U11 boys' soccer team with AYSO (American Youth Soccer Organization), a youth rec soccer organization. Most players on the team have never played organized soccer for many reasons, like finances or parents not having spare time to take them to practices or games. In all honesty, when I started to be a volunteer coach, I looked at it as more of a burden because I knew it would look good on a resume or application but did not have fun doing it. However, after getting to see these kids and coaching them, I think it is one of the things that I look forward to doing every week. From staying after practices to show them the different things I learned playing soccer, taking a few of them to and from games, to just getting to know the kids on the team in general, I love it and hope I can leave an impact on the team as they have on me.
Another service I have participated in is helping with local elections. For this, I have been a door knocker, poll worker, and a helped tally votes. When I helped volunteer for elections, I loved being able to talk to the people and how sometimes a warm smile and being able to hear others out could impact people's decisions.
Other community service activities I have helped with include food and toy drives and assisting at local KARMS. When contributing to these service activities, I did not get to meet as many people they would have impacted as a lot of the times I would help wrap gifts or enable collect food and drop it off, but I know that impact it would have had on others would be just the same. At times, I have to remind myself that something small I do can still mean the world to another, and that is why I enjoy helping others for the rest of my life and even want to make contributions to things like charities or youth organizations when I am older because I want to be able to give others the opportunities I have had with hopes that one day they will do the same.