Whenever I look up the word volunteering on google I get “Freely offer to do something," but I think it means something much more. Volunteering is something that has allowed me to get out of my comfort zone; I made life long connections with people of varying ages and I know I can make a change within my community.

I didn’t know where I was going to go or even what field of study I wanted to be in before I started to volunteer. After I started volunteering my views of the world started to expand and I knew I wanted to make a positive impact on everyone and everything that I possibly could. I wanted to do non-profit work, I wanted to help children not feel so secluded, and I wanted to build confidence in people. I knew there wasn’t much money in non-profit work and I knew that money made the world go ‘round so now I’m working on going to medical school so I can earn the money I need to be able to start putting these ideas into actions.

However, when I came to college I found that I couldn’t volunteer as much because of my busy schedule with classes. I also found that many kids that do volunteer in high school stop volunteering in college because they don’t know how to reestablish those connections within a new community. I think of this and it makes me want to spread my love of volunteering to the ends of the earth. Everyone I met, I tell them how great volunteering is and how much of a difference it has made on my life.

Volunteering can be a small act of kindness such as, opening the door for someone to donating spare change to the Salvation Army when they ring the bells during the holidays. It can also be as big as building a house or doing a medical mission trip across the world. I can’t emphasize how much a small act of kindness can mean to someone. Giving up an hour of your day to make a positive impact on someone else you may not even know can make their life so much brighter. Every time I volunteer I get to see people’s smiling faces and I get to know that for these few moments they can feel safe. There’s nothing more rewarding than getting to know people are happy.

I knew from the moment I started volunteering that I would never stop. Even long after college and my schooling days are over I will continue to volunteer. There are never enough volunteers looking to make a positive change in the world. Be the person that takes the first step and starts making that change you want to see happen in your community. If there’s anything that volunteering has taught me it is that it only takes one person to make a difference.