Volunteering Through Basketball by Melissa

Volunteering Through Basketball by Melissa - April 2022 Scholarship Essay

Ever since I was younger I had a passion for sports. I’ve done soccer since I was 6 and basketball since I was 9 and have been playing ever since. In addition to my passion for sports, there is also a special place in my heart for volunteering. I’ve been a part of different volunteering groups, such as Key Club International, and activities as well as being able to run my own bake sales for Mini Thon to raise money to fight childhood cancer. So as you can imagine, when I was given the opportunity to volunteer as a camp counselor for young kids playing basketball, I was ecstatic.
I’ve done this camp with my high school basketball team since my freshman year and it brings me such joy to do it every time. We spend about 16 hours each year for this camp across 4 days and work with over 40 campers. We work with kids from 3rd-8th grade on their teamwork, communication, dribbling, and shooting skills. I, as well as the other volunteers, come up with the activities for the kids to do for defense and offense. It’s a great opportunity for kids to get some exercise while hanging out with their friends and learning new skills and I’m more than happy to be a part of it.
Volunteering with these kids helped me recognize the true impact of volunteering as a mentor. These kids truly look up to us and look for us to set an example for them, and it's our responsibility to make sure it's a good one. I decided to take this lesson and look at the big picture. I realize that things like this happen every day. There is always someone looking at you and they take notice of your behavior or the words you say whether it's in a grocery store or in the school halls. It's our responsibility as older role models to take into account the effect we have on the ones around us, and we need to use these opportunities to make a positive impact.