By Mac Pomery
When students start college, getting into the rhythm of a steady schedule can seem impossible.
If you aren’t used to the amount of work required, it can seem like you don’t have time for anything else. It’s easy to forget about life outside of your obligations.
When I began college, I spent a lot of time by myself preoccupied with my work. It felt like I didn’t even have time for my family and friends.
This cycle was broken when the owner of Diva Donations, a family friend, offered me the opportunity to volunteer for her organization.
Diva Donations is devoted to supplying girls with formal dresses for special occasions at almost no charge. When the owner contacted me, she had a large group of girls coming in and needed all the help she could get.
Since it was on a Saturday, I agreed to volunteer. Sure, it was a long day on my feet, and by the end I was exhausted, but the experience opened my eyes to how ignorant I’d become to others’ needs.
Volunteering is a great way to serve the community. You can recruit friends and family to join you and spend time together while giving back.
By learning about others’ problems, you can put your skills toward a solution. It doesn’t have to be often; it doesn’t even have to be for long. An hour or two per month will suffice.
I enjoy volunteering at Diva Donations, but there are so many organizations you can volunteer at that serve different interests, including animal shelters, homeless shelters and tutoring services.
There are even organizations on campus that take great pride in giving back to the community, such as the Honors College or Greek Life.
Even now, I have weeks where I find myself consumed with work and school. I absolutely love what I do, but it is still easy to lose myself in my work.
I don’t get to volunteer as often as I’d like to, but when I have the opportunity to help a girl find the perfect dress at Diva Donations and see her smile with confidence, I’m reminded of what makes it all worth it.
That is why I am always happy to keep going back.
Regardless of how stressed you are, seeing people you’ve helped makes getting through the week worth it. That’s what matters most.
