Helping Other Help Themselves

My time spent at Viola Blythe was a success. It feels good to be able to give back to a community that we are so much a part of. Although it is a great experience to be able to reach out to a community, it is a shame to see that not all American people can be equal. I believe that spending time on this project has made me reflect deeper on what people as a whole share in common. I think the most important thing that some of us, although not all of us, share is the feeling of need to reach out to those who are a little less fortunate. Hunger is a tough thing to deal with day in and day out. This volunteer center may have helped me see that. Viola Blythe is a great place to volunteer. It has given me so many people to learn from because since it is so small, it has a nice personal note to it. I spoke with a fellow volunteer who was much older than me, but still young at heart. She told me about why she chose this place and what makes her feel good about it. Both of our insights were very similar.

The woman I spoke to, who's name I cannot remember, was so kind to the people whom she volunteered with as well as the people who we were helping. It was refreshing to talk to somebody who has seen so much in life, and work along side her. When I asked her why she does volunteer work, she turned to me in excitement. She told me that she does volunteer work because of the type of enlightenment it brings out in us. Truly, I couldn't agree more with what she was saying. In its most basic form, any form of volunteer work feels good because, when done properly, is out of the goodness of an individual. I took a second to think why I had been there, and I remembered that it was for a project. Maybe I had forgotten about that because in the end, I think I will return to Viola Blythe for more volunteering even after the equity project is through. I continued to think about this as I was filling up quart size bags of pinto beans and white rice. They are packaged at Viola Blythe to ensure that everybody gets the same amount, as well as to make giving them out easier. Even though I didn't get to learn everything I wanted to about the donation center I worked at, maybe that is not what is important. I've come to realize that the importance of what we are doing is to help us expand our minds into trying new things, and helping people along the way. It is a building experience and has helped me not only become thankful for the things that have been given to me and my family, but also to realize that improvements can always be made.