Julia Zaucha second blog post "Service"

Throughout high school, I would always volunteer (not only because it looked good for my college) but because I genuinely enjoyed helping out in my community. In fact, every year I would volunteer every Thursday at my local food pantry. I was able to connect to a different side of the community in which I lived in, such as individuals who depended on food stamps or those who were poorer. I mean I come from a small, middle-classed town in a suburb just northwest of Chicago, and there was definitely a wide variety of wealth distribution throughout the town. But I found it refreshing to see that side of the community. In a way, I feel that doing service opportunities makes me recognize just how fortunate I am - how lucky I am to have the parents I have and their backgrounds and my own ability to obtain the knowledge I have and also get out of where I live and try new things. (It sounds cheesy in every way, but it really does ground you).
I also would volunteer for a bunch of other things such as Special Olympics and I would offer free lessons in softball to middle schoolers. I was very happy to give back to my community and offer my abilities and assistance where I could. Sometimes it really can be hard to find time to give back (especially with having such busy schedules and finding a new balance in our changing lives) but I believe it is so important to dedicate time to give back, even if it may not be something you necessarily want to do because, in the end, the feeling of giving back is ultimately warming.