People all around the world suffer daily because their needs are not met — whether this is food, medicine, clothing, shelter, etc. When one hears of the trials and tribulations that face others, they mostly think of it as happening far away. Many times, these issues do not seem to directly affect us or our communities, but that is absolutely not true.

People you see every day could be considered to be below the poverty line. The look of need does not fit one description or criteria. I think that we, as people, need to help each other out. The easiest way to do this is by volunteering in your own community. In any given city, one can find volunteer opportunities through schools, churches, and outreach programs.

Dedicating your time to bettering the lives of others is one of the most rewarding feelings.

I have grown up surrounded by empathetic people who are constantly giving up their free time to help others. Throughout middle school and high school, I had to complete community service for academic groups I was a member of. I now attend a university that is focused on giving back to the community as much as possible, and I am an official member of Circle K International, a group composed of college students wanting to give back to the community.

Joining Circle K while attending school has reminded me of the beauty of helping others, as well as the responsibility we all have as humans to help one another out. I think I often did not enjoy volunteering as much during my high school years because it always felt like work that had to be done for the academic clubs I was in. However, when I stopped volunteering, I felt like something was missing in my life.

I am so glad I have found Circle K, and it has allowed me to dedicate my time to something meaningful and impactful. It never fails to brighten my day to see someone’s smile and hear their words of thanks for what you are doing. To me, volunteering brings people and their communities together. In this society, it is easy to become detached and forget about the suffering that is right in front of us. I hope to always try my best to volunteer my time towards bettering the community that surrounds me.