Overlooked by Madelynn

Overlooked by Madelynn - April 2022 Scholarship Essay

With total transparency, everyone can admit that they have pulled the lazy card and worn dirty clothes before. I, unfortunately, have done this many times and while I have no shame, deep down inside I feel gross and worry about whether people can tell my clothes are dirty or not. Every once in a while, we do this out of laziness or we are running from one thing to the next, however, imagine this being your everyday life. I am privileged enough to say I have never had to worry about this before. I have always had the availability to wash my clothes but this is not a privilege most people have. The need of having clean clothes is not something most realize and it becomes overlooked.
I myself would have never thought of clean clothes being a privilege. As a Wilson Society Club Officer, I was introduced to the concept that many people that suffer financially have to sacrifice wearing clean clothes in order to provide food and shelter for their families. I was heavily impacted by this need of the Orange Mound Community in Memphis. Especially through the impact of COVID 19, many people in this community were put out of jobs, therefore, making financial situations more strained. In order to help, I went through the process of organizing and communicating this need to my school. I worked with several people in Wilson Society and partnered with several other clubs to collect items such as detergent, washcloths, towels, and laundry baskets. I organized a PowerPoint and went through an interview process to apply for a grant from the Kemmons Wilson Society Chapter. Fortunately, we were able to receive a grant of money to provide ten dollars’ worth of coins to several Orange Mound families. The project became titled Helpful Hampers and for the past two years, it has provided many Orange Mound families with clean clothes.
Having the opportunity to truly serve my community and become educated on a need that has been overlooked has been quite an influence in my life. Moving on to the next chapter in college, I desire to continue serving my school and community. I want to be able to lead and educate more and more people. There are so many privileges that we all overlook on a daily basis. I know in my life I have developed a greater appreciation for the little things. Each day I am blessed with the choice to wear clean clothes, a choice I used to take for granted.