We've always been taught about how good it is to give back; good in more ways than one: good karma, good exposure, and good results. However, it's very easy to just simply verbalize this desire or think it than it is to actually become so involved in within the good that you are protruding.
I'm coming off of a weekend high of being involved in Penn State's Dance Marathon, also known as THON; a 46 hour no sitting, no sleeping, philanthropy that raises the funds needed to pursue research for a cure to childhood cancer, and to make sure that no Four Diamonds Families at Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital is handed a bill for their child's care and treatment.
I was greatly involved in a committee that worked long and tireless shifts throughout the entire weekend, and I couldn't have imagined myself having a better time.
From September till now, my committee members, captains, and I have been pushing THON's mission and many of its core attributes to other volunteers, students, and residents within the area.
We've given a hand in the making of many of the child-like decorations that were posted all around the Bryce Jordan Center during THON weekend, and of course, we've helped to raise money on our own. It was a lot of work, but it was also definitely something I will never regret or look back on negatively.
Being a part of THON was truly the epitome of being apart of something much bigger than just myself, and when I joined something like this, it truly felt like my life had a more meaningful purpose. As cliché and cheesy as that sounds, it's so very accurate.
You never realize how good it feels to put a smile on someone else's face, to make someone else feel relieved during a time that would bring about stress and negativity, or to even give an answer to a question that someone had. All of these things were things I was able to do for someone else this past weekend, and you can too.
Join something, join anything that even remotely gives back to someone or something in return. Getting involved in charitable work is humbling and character building. In the end, we truly become different and better people than we once were.
We perceive a much different outlook on life knowing that other people do not have it as easy as we do. We begin to understand more about just how much hard work needs to be put in to bring about any sort of beneficial change and relief, while at the same time realizing that there is no need to give up because it can be done.
Aside from just reasoning that joining something of a cause on campus or in your neighborhood is going to be good for you because it's something to put on a resume, also think about the impact your help can actually make in another person's life. Get used to the idea that your presence, and personality, and drive has a purpose on this planet, and it's up to you to go out and utilize it.
