Making my own Community Service by Mariah

Making my own Community Service by Mariah - December 2016 Scholarship Essay

Joining a community service project is easy, but when you create one it adds so much more to a person's personal accomplishments. In my junior year of high school, I was given the opportunity to create my own community service project through the club FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America). My project ended up being a spin-off of the original Elf on the Shelf children's story. I was in charge of making signs, distributing stamp cards which would keep track of participation, and getting members of FBLA to help sell the cards. Through this role, I was able to strengthen my overall experience by leading a group of people to accomplish the task of raising money for our community. Our goal was superseded when the total came back as $450. The money that was raised was used to help the club give pies and gifts to community members who didn't have any money during the holiday season. Overall, this project impacted my community as I oversaw all of the details. I felt extremely proud and accomplished through my service.
I've always loved seeing someone smile after working hard to raise money for them. This image of making a difference has always motivated me to volunteer. That is why I helped make the FBLA Tiger Elf on the Shelf project. This idea sprang up when I wanted to use a theme from the holiday season. Once I read the original Elf on the Shelf story, I knew it was the perfect one for my project. This project’s overall goal was to raise money to make the holiday season more enjoyable for those in need. This project was based on the concept of partnering with businesses throughout the holiday season. During this project, I was in charge of a group of FBLA members who were aiding me in this immense project. At the beginning of the project, I set myself up as a leader and role model. I started making signs and other items that we would need to make the project a success. By demonstrating high-quality work, I was able to set the standards high for the remainder of the project.
The effort that was required to complete this project was immense and perhaps the most challenging part of the project. I was always visiting businesses or selling cards after school during November and December. Also, I had to get the rest of my club excited about participating in my fundraiser and raising money to help those in need. I wanted them to understand what a difference this would make for others less fortunate during the holiday season.
After the fundraiser was over we raised $450.00 and everyone had a great experience with the project. This money was then used to give families in need presents and pies for the holiday season. Many people were involved in making this project a success, including business owners, over 30 FBLA members, my FBLA advisor, and my community.
From this volunteer work, I gained not only community service hours but the ability to help people in need during the holiday season. I learned that hard work does pay off and helping people feels amazing. Through this process, I acquired new skills including how to be a leader, work with business owners, and run an effective fundraiser.
Perhaps the most memorable part of the project was getting to see all of the little kids searching inside of a business for the Tiger Elf we had hidden. They squealed in delight when they finally found it. It was the most positive feeling to know that not only would people benefit from the fundraising, but the people involved were having just as much fun.
All in all, my experience was very memorable and positive. I look forward to running this project again this winter.