Everyone should volunteer at least once in their lifetime. I have been volunteering as part of the Teen Leader's Club at my local YMCA. This volunteer group reaches out to the community aiding children, adults and elderly. While working with BreAnne, my volunteer supervisor, for the past two years, I have learned so much and been able to see how volunteering and donating my time can be effective in helping others and myself. I realize that volunteering is one of my greatest passions.
This past year, BreAnne challenged our group of high school volunteers to think of ideas for an "alternative spring break." She had been working closely with the CEO of our YMCA to let us go on a week long mission trip with her. Instead of another teenager thinking of an idea, a board member from the YMCA told us about her experience as an avid volunteer for the Mission of Hope. This mission is based out of Plattsburgh, New York and is run by Sister Debbie Blow. She supervises two week-long trips every year to Nicaragua where they stay at a compound that they built, on land they own, and reach out to the poorest of the poor in the neighboring eleven "barrios."
I had the chance to go to Nicaragua in February this past winter with two other volunteers from my YMCA group, five other students in my county and 55 other volunteers from around the country. We departed for eight days of hard work out of Newark Airport at 8 a.m., arriving at our final destination close to 11p.m. the same night. For eight days I was part of the Mission of Hope volunteer group and was able to build home shelters, deliver food to those in need, give medical attention and visit an orphanage.
Because I was part of the group from the YMCA, I was able to visit the YMCA in Nicaragua's capital city, Managua. The supervisor of the YMCA explained to us that the Y he ran was not an entertainment center, a gym, or a place to go to have fun. His YMCA brought in children from the surrounding area to work towards becoming functioning members of society. These kids learned how to handle money, if the ever made any, to take care of children (60% of all females over 19 there are single mothers) and to be safe in their environment. Each of these kids were members of one of the five rival gang families in their "town." The supervisor told us that these kids come together to be friends so that in five years when they are the head of the family, they aren't in the position to kill their childhood friends.
Once instance, the supervisor explained, was after the children were done with heir work at the Y for the day. As two children were leaving, one went to the east side of the street,a and one to the west. On either side of the street were their fathers. As soon as one of the fathers turned his back to leave, a shot rang out; however, it wasn't aimed at the father and child. Instead, it was aimed at another member of gang; he was killed instantly. When I asked why the shot wasn't intended for the father and child, the supervisor had explained that the children are like a free pass, they are used a shields. When families are out with heir children, it is understood that the parents cannot be killed at that time. I was astounded that a rule like that would even need to be understood, I couldn't wrap my head around the idea that families would kill other families just for sport. It made me realize, as a teenager, that my life took place in a bubble, and that I would most likely never see a gun on the street, and never see that gun used to kill another man. However for these kids in Managua, their lives revolve around protecting their parents from being killed on the spot.
Another experience I had in Nicaragua, my favorite one actually, was what I call "Man in the Mirror," only this experience was with orphaned children. As I explained earlier, 60% of females over 19 in Nicaragua are single mothers, but another thing that I earned was that 45% of children born by those mothers will be abandoned and orphaned on the streets. On my last day, I was able to visit one of the orphanages. We brought with us small gifts: toys, stickers and pocket mirrors. When I gave a mirror to one of the girls, she couldn't open it, mainly because she didn't have finger nails (they had been torn off as a child and never regrown), but also because she had never seen a compact. I opened it for her and showed her the reflection of herself, she gasped. She blinked her eyes rapidly, tugged on her hair, and made faces in the mirror. When I asked another volunteer what she was doing, she said simply, "many of these children have never seen their reflection before." At that moment I was disgusted by the camera that hung around my neck, by the shoes I wore on my feet, and by the earrings I had studded into my ears. I was ashamed at myself for throwing away food, for calling people names, and for ever wishing bad upon a person.
From that moment, I had vowed to become a new person, to live everyday the way it should be: free and easy. I realized most people in the world don't have the opportunity to be free and don't have the option of being careless and free-spirited. I was wrong about everything in my life until that moment, I have never experienced another feeling quite like that.
I have more stories to come, but I'd like to leave you with these two stories for now. Please think about the life you live and how tomorrow, it could all be gone. Then think about how you would feel if that were to happen. Be humble.
