Lydia K., Incarnation Catholic School
Swimming, Volunteering, and Doing Good
On a sunny morning, I was playing a game in my neighborhood pool with other kids. I was holding a little girl who was having a hard time swimming in the pool, and she held onto me and said, “I’m having so much fun!” Then I remembered I wasn’t just playing – I was helping coach swim to small kids, voluntarily. I believe that service is important to kids my age because it not only helps people in the community but makes us see things from a different perspective. However, I usually thought service was something I had to do, not to want to do. On that Friday morning, though, the kids were all having such a good time that I realized that doing service doesn’t have to be hard or boring – it can be fun!
When I volunteered as a junior coach for my swim team, I helped the smaller kids in the water, making sure they didn’t sink and helping them with their strokes. Also, I was a volunteer camp counselor for Girl Scout day camp. Being a counselor means I walked with a troop of girls to different stations, such as games and crafts. When I was a young Scout, I attended the same day camp and enjoyed it. It was fun for me to be able to help a new group of girls have good experiences, and hope I was inspiring them to be counselors when they were my age as well.
In addition to camp counseling, I have also earned my Bronze Award for Girl Scouts and volunteered for other camps and projects. Whenever I volunteer like this, I’m usually with other girls my age, and we have a good time while doing the service. I have also noticed that when I leave these events, I feel happy and upbeat. By having fun with these activities and doing good for my community, I have fun and am happy, just like Dottie Yeck’s equation.
Another reason I had fun helping the swim team and being a camp counselor with the day camp was because I got to see the kids improve through doing things like playing games and talking with them. Being a camp counselor was the same type of thing, because later I would see some of the girls that I volunteered with, and they would tell me how much fun they had and ask if I was going to be a counselor the next year. This inspired me to keep volunteering and giving my time. I can continue to do more for my community by being a counselor again and helping at whatever volunteer opportunities I can.
It is so important to do service in your life and help others, just like Dottie Yeck advocates for. I had an amazing time with every single one of the times I have volunteered, and I felt like I made a difference too.
