Students should volunteer more

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I like to believe in people. People learning from other people, growing from other people and helping other people. People make the world go round, and whether they are good or bad, look at how many walk in and out of your life each day.

Every person makes an impact in some way. Being conscious of this makes you aware of the mark you leave on others, even in those brief encounters. I think the best way someone can live their life is to try to live selflessly, helping better the lives of those around them.

This is going to have a similar message to one of my previous columns, but it is not one that should be said once, then forgotten. As a citizen of any community, one should help out and give back in any way that they can.

This rings true even for those of us going through school right now. We all have a tight budget, but money is not the only way you can donate to local causes or reach out to others.

The best thing we have to offer is ourselves, and an hour or two of our time. A student group I am involved with just held a fundraiser for the Haven House, a temporary housing facility for those in need. For the fundraiser, each pair of people participated for an hour each, and together we raised money for the Haven House.

It is easy to fall back on excuses, though. Next time when you are bored and find yourself surfing Facebook again and again, think of more constructive ways you could be spending your time.

For example, play the game on FreeRice.com. Not only will you expand your vocabulary, but for every word you guess right, ten grains of rice are donated to the United Nations World Food Program.

I am guilty of not volunteering as much as I should. I try to when I can, though. I have spent my spring breaks volunteering, and, if an opportunity presents itself, I will try to get involved with something. I urge others to do the same. Volunteering and making a difference in someone else’s life for the better has resulted in some of the most rewarding experiences I have ever had.

Last January, I participated in the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service Event. The majority of my day was spent at the Whitehills Health Care Center. I cleaned and organized, and then had the opportunity to visit with the residents there, which was a really positive experience. I helped an elderly woman in the dining room, and in turn she told me all about her past, stories about the war and her family. This woman opened up to me, and it was amazing to hear about some of the things she had experienced in her life.

Learning from others has impacted me greatly. When I went to New Orleans for spring break last year, my group and I had the opportunity to walk around the ninth ward, the area hit hardest by Hurricane Katrina. We stopped and spoke to a man named Robert Green. He lost his mother, his granddaughter, his home and the majority of his belongings in one day.

Yet here he was, opening up his home to us and telling us his story. It has really taught me to put things into perspective. It is so hard to even imagine losing one of the things he did during the storm, let alone all of them. He has inspired me to welcome others in and give back to those who need it.

I am sharing this with everyone because it has changed me, and I hope that others either have or will have the opportunity to have an impacting experience like this through giving back. There also are so many ways to get involved here in Lansing and East Lansing, and with the holiday seasons approaching, more help will be needed.

For a listing of opportunities, the Center for Service Learning and Civic Engagement has lots of opportunities they can set someone up with. Also, the Penn State Blood Drive Challenge has started, with the Red Cross set up all over campus.

Another simple way to help would be to bring nonperishable foods to the football stadium before the Penn State game. As a floor or with your roommates you could adopt a family, or you could cook dinner for families that are staying at the Ronald McDonald House.

When it comes down to it, a little kindness goes a long way. If you take part and become a mentor in a child’s life, or even do something as small as holding the door open for someone, you are doing your part to help others.

Don’t stop reaching out to others. You never know whose life you could change.

Lauren Wood is a State News guest columnist and journalism junior. Reach her at woodlau2@msu.edu.

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