Isabella Lilis, Grade 8, St. Bernadette

Volunteer: to enter or offer into some service of one’s free will.

Volunteering can take many forms. It can be achieved through words, physical actions, and even virtual technology. However, they all reap the same rewards – a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment. Volunteering is a way to give back to others what you have received; it is simply living the way of God.

Recently a volunteering experience made the biggest change in my life. I met people who cannot afford what I can, who do not see life that way we do, but desire to belong, love and be loved.  My time at the Good Shepherd Center was the reason for this change. My initial fear to work here was overcome when my heart was touched by the sadness in their eyes. It made me think of what I had and what they didn’t have. I realized that I was developing a different viewpoint of the world. Moreover, I thought of how to live life differently: what was once important no longer is. 

Imagine if every person donated an hour a day helping others, what a better place the world there would be!