On Wednesday April 25, I was back at the Arboretum after my
classes had ended in order to continue my volunteering hours, from 3pm to 5pm. In the time I went, there were no trail
worker jobs at that time and all of the children’s programs had just ended.
Therefore, I ended up cleaning all of the windows in the building, using Windex
and paper towels. Surprisingly, I did not consider this task a chore at all and
was grateful for a job that ended up helping me relax after a long day of
taking exams and studying. If only this dedication to clean could be translated
the same to my bedroom. One of the reasons I was extremely motivated was that
the directors at the Arboretum were truly thankful for my help and their
continuous appreciation further motivated me to volunteer more and give back to
the community.
As I was cleaning, I thought about the reasons why nonprofit
organizations started in the first place and I looked at volunteering from a
different perspective. The purpose of nonprofit organizations is to educate the
community about the natural environment and to take care of and preserve the
native plants and animals that live there. Volunteering is about being able to make a difference in the community and experience things that you've never done before. Volunteering has helped me build leadership skills and made me more confident in communicating with others.
After cleaning and scrubbing off any visible fingerprints
from the windows, I walked away feeling more accomplished than when I walked in
at the beginning. I learned a little bit about myself,
characteristics such as persistence and dedication; in a way, I am now able to
appreciate the little things in life that are sometimes easily looked over when
getting caught up in daily activities.
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