I have always, even as child, wanted to volunteer my time to help the community grow. I believe the success and the future of the community lies within us. At the start of the semester, CNU’s President’s Leadership Program (PLP) required us to participate in a day of service at a set destination. The objective was to get a feel for what volunteering is like, to understand the responsibility that comes with the commitmen, and also to help us decide which service track we wanted to pursue.
My day of service destination was the C. Waldo Scott Center for H.O.P.E. here in Newport News. It is a place where children can get educational help, training, support and gain the skill sets needed to take charge of their lives. During my time there, I helped the children with math, specifically, knowledge of monetary value. It was a challenging task, not because they were intellectually lacking, but because of the unexpected emotional aspect. I remember working with one of the children whose aunt had recently passed away. He was a bit reluctant to participate in the beginning because of that reason. I then asked him if he would like a hug, and that gesture brightened his day. Once we began, I learned that his intellect is far beyond the average for his age range.
Initially, I thought the PLP service requirements required in our first year were a bit much, but I have realized that it is really not that much at all. The day of service experience truly touched my heart and my life; because of my experience at the Scott Center, I plan to put in more hours of service than required by the PLP program. I believe my service to the children in the community will create a bigger, brighter future for the community and the world.
