Kelsey Peck

I found out about the Legacy scholarship a few years ago. To be honest, I wasn’t really looking forward to doing forty hours of community service. I was actually kind of dreading it. About half way through it, however, my opinion began to change. I discovered that I was having an impact, however small, on someone’s life.

I was blessed enough to be accepted for volunteer work at the Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped.  The people there were nice and easy to work with. They had me record materials by reading them aloud to a recorder and organizing cassette and CD books. At first, I wasn’t too pleased with the work. Reading aloud for four hours a day in a tiny room to a piece of machinery wasn’t very favorable to me. After a few days of this and a sore throat, I was pretty bored with the whole thing.

Soon, however, I came to a realization; what I was doing was actually helping people. This simple, mindlessly dull activity was helping to make someone else’s life a little better. Not everyone is as blessed as I with the ability to see. I remember after one day of volunteering, attempting to walk all the way back to my room with my eyes closed. I was just trying to get a feel for what some of these people go through everyday, every second of their lives. I went to the library the next day with a better appreciation for what these people do.

I was just a temporary volunteer, working to get a scholarship. There were a few amazing women who did this five or six days a week, with little pay. There were even more people that volunteered regularly to read and record magazines and books and Bible lessons for the visually impaired. With this in mind, I began to view the work I did in a new light. I began to do it with others in mind, as I should have been doing in the first place. I thought about how grateful someone was going to be that someone took the time to read their Bible lesson aloud in a tiny room to a piece of machinery.

Still, I was relived when I got another job to do when my voice refused to cooperate. They allowed me to organize about five large bookshelves full of CDs and cassettes. They were to be put in alphabetical order and typed into the computer program. To me, this work was much more satisfying. The results were visual; I could see my progress and had a concrete goal to work toward.

All in all, volunteering for the Legacy scholarship has been beneficial to me in more ways than one. Sure, it helped pay for a year at Midland College, but it also helped me grow. I have learned many things, like patience, humility, and what it takes to be a servant. I had done other service projects, but never one so demanding of my time. Working toward this scholarship has been a character building experience, and I am happy that I have done it.

Jeremy Quilimaco

As I’m finishing my last semester at Midland College. I look back and I’m thankful for the help and opportunity that was given to me. When I first thought of doing community service hours - I’ll be honest, I was dreading it. My schedule was packed and juggling school, work, time with friends and then community service hours was a hard task. I knew that I had to take advantage of this opportunity that many others didn’t, so I began to look for places that would be interesting to get my hours out of the way (That is the mindset I had). I found two places, Hospice of Midland and The Museum of the Southwest.

At Hospice of Midland, I got to meet and become friends with a lot of people who worked there. As a younger person, it’s always interesting when you can meet and talk with older people who have experienced and seen much more than you. They have much more wisdom when it comes to certain situations and can help you to see problems in your life in a different perspective, especially when you problems are nothing when you are just out of high school.

I expected the work I did there to be boring and long but, surprisingly, I learned much more than just how to get my hours done. The people there would ask me about school and where I was going to apply my school. In turn, I learned and got ideas about what they did and where it took them. I was surprised when I realized that I enjoyed going back there everyday. Simple friendships and acquaintances can teach you a lot if you pay close attention to them. Some of my close friends have told me that you meet people for a reason. I never really understood that until now. Just talking to the nice people who worked at Hospice I learned a bunch of valuable advice. To see how they in their later years have experienced so much and gotten so far but still have so much life and optimism is awesome to see.

The Museum of the Southwest was really a fun experience. Not only did I get to meet more people but many of them were my age and younger. Doing hours at the museum was more hands-on, unlike Hospice where much of it was only paperwork. We would run stations around the museum when Boy Scouts would spend the night and do educational activities that we had set up. The whole time I was in school I never went to any museums except for one time for a school trip. So, to be able to teach and roam around the museum was a new experience for me.

The most memorable and most important thing I took with me after I finish my hours was a conversation with the most unlikely person. They had hired a security guard lady to watch over the racecars. That day there was a tour going on and they asked me to help her watch the kids and make sure that none of them would touch and break any of the expensive cars. We got to talking and she taught me things that I didn’t even know about the museum and some cool facts about the cars we were watching. She was very nice and fun to work with. I guess the reason I had such a good time talking to her is because she was a simple down-to-earth lady with a kind heart just trying to make a living. She was very encouraging to me and told me  that I should take advantage of the dreams I have now while im young and pursue them to the fullest.

Kyle Rawlins

When I first applied for the legacy scholarship, I just saw the community service as a requirement to get the scholarship. After completing the community service, I not only felt that I gave something to the community, but I received something I had not planned on - a stronger sense of self worth.

While doing my community service at the Confederate Air Force, I had the honor of operating the audio equipment for Lt. Col. Allen Todd as he spoke of his experiences during World War II.  He had served as an Air Force fighter ace over the European Theater.  His stories of heroism and honor are the type that we need more of today.  His tales of bravery and daring struck a chord deep in my soul.  This man had seen so many horrible and unspeakable things in his lifetime, yet he was still one of the kindest people that I have ever met.  This just goes to show you that no matter what happens to a person, their character can remain the same.

As part of my community service, I had the opportunity to help with the ballet of the Arts Assembley of Midland.  I was able to assist the group by operating their lighting for the ballet.  I felt it was very demanding work both mentally and physically, but when we worked as a team we overcame any difficulties.  The ballet is such a beautiful art form and it brings joy to so many people in the audience.   I felt that if anyone in the audience was having a bad day or trying to overcome some problems in their life, the ballet might have made them forget their problems at least for a little while.   To think that my small task may have helped in the overall performance gave me a good feeling.

I also had the opportunity to assist the community by serving food to the needy at the Breaking Bread Soup Kitchen. I had volunteered here even before I had applied for the Legacy Scholarship so I was somewhat familiar with serving the needy. I guess a lot of people including myself have the image in their mind of what type of person is considered needy. I think of a homeless person standing on a street corner with a sign that says "Will work for food"  is a typical needy person. After working at the soup Kitchen I now know that this image is not correct. A person in need might have a nice house and car, but may not have any money for a good hot meal. A person could have lost a job or have high medical bills and not have any money for food. The most important thing that I learned is that you cannot look at someone and tell if they are in need of assistance. It really makes you thankful for what you have and realize that it could be gone in a short time.

When I first applied for the scholarship, I wondered why the Legacy Committee required so much community service. To a teenager, forty hours seems like a lot of time. That’s time I could spend with friends, playing games on the computer, or listening to music. After completing the service, I now understand their motive. You not only help people in the Midland community, but the person who benefits the most is yourself. It was time well spent.

Thank you Legacy Scholarship.

Community Service

Zachary Reynolds

Community service, to me, is work done to better the community and the people who live there.  It is an act of kindness.  It is a nonprofit job that most people volunteer to do.  On the other hand you can be ordered by a court, school, or an organization.

There are countless numbers of community service jobs such as Helping Hands, Salvation Army, and Meals on Wheels.  Community service is something that will benefit everyone.  For example, I did my community service for the organization, Helping Hands.  It is an organization where people can bring their old clothes, toys, bags, books, televisions, furniture, shoes, and basically anything you can think of that you no longer have a use for.

I’d punch a time card every morning at eight a.m. The first couple of day’s they had me out back to sort shoes. I had never seen mountains of shoes this high before. Most of the shoes would come in pairs and stay that way.  All I had to do was put a rubber band around each pair and package them in huge sacks.  I would pick out the best pairs which were to be taken inside for sale.  The rest would be shipped to wherever there was a city without a ‘Helping Hands.’ I was surprised by how many nice things the store had to offer at such inexpensive prices.

Another job I was responsible for was running the cash register.  This enabled me to meet some really genuine people.  They were just like you and I, but didn’t catch the same breaks. Some of the people I met were homeless.

There was one man in-particular who had lost his home to a fire.  The man was forced out on to the streets where he endured some pretty hard times.  He told me that there were some teenagers who would often harass and physically harm him. When I asked him how old he thought the kids were he told me they looked about my age.  He then jumped to the conclusion and asked what crime I had committed to be issued the community service. When I told him that I was volunteering on my own, to be able to attend Midland College, tears filled his eyes. The man told me he didn’t realize that those kinds of opportunities were available. He then continued to apologize for his accusation.  He then told me that it is because of young people like me - people who keep themselves off the street and do things to better their community - that this world still had a chance.

My Experience with Community Service

David Yoxsimer

Imagine you are an elderly person who lives alone.  Your health has deteriorated recently, and it is difficult for you to get around.  Also, you live on a fixed income, and you don’t have any nearby friends or family to help you out.  This is the state of more than 500 people in our community, reports Billy Nietert, driver coordinator for Meals-On-Wheels.  If this were your condition, wouldn’t it brighten your day to have a smiling face come to your door to bring you lunch?  This is the mission of Meals-On-Wheels, and these are the reasons I enjoy volunteering with this program.

If my grandmother or grandfather lived alone, I sure would want someone to go by and check on them every day, which is one of the goals of Meals-On-Wheels.  The program not only ensures that recipients have a hot lunch everyday but also makes sure that the clients are fine.  This is how I know my time volunteering with Meals-On-Wheels matters.  Every person I’ve ever delivered meals to is someone’s grandfather or grandmother, mother or father, brother or sister.  Jim Brown, a Meals-On-Wheels driver, started volunteering because of the impact he saw the program make in his brother-in-law’s life.  His brother-in-law received Meals-On-Wheels for about year before he passed away.  It warms my heart knowing that I’m helping people who might not have anyone else to give them a hand.

The benefits of Meals-On-Wheels are definitely not a one-way street.  I can’t count how many times a client has told me that it made his or her day just having someone come by to talk to for a minute.  Having volunteered for Meals-On-Wheels since 2004, I have made several close friendships with the people on our route.  One of them, Layne Smith, who has received Meals-On-Wheels for several years, said the program is of “inestimable value” to him.  “It really helps to have the meals,” he said.  “Otherwise I’d just eat a bologna sandwich everyday.  Also, it is really nice to have someone to talk to, even if it is just for a few minutes.”

Many of the people who receive this service wouldn’t talk to anyone all day if their Meals-On-Wheels driver didn’t come by.  Can you imagine spending a whole day without any contact with another person?  Seeing the limitations of these people to interact with others and to go places makes you value having friends and family close and being able to go places you want or need to go.  This is another one of the goals of Meals-On-Wheels: Making sure people know that they are not forgotten.

Volunteering with Meals-On-Wheels has really given me a glimpse into the lives of those who are not as fortunate as I am.  Seeing the difficulties they must overcome on a day-to-day basis has made me appreciate the blessings in my life so much more, and I am more than happy to give a little of my time to make someone’s life a little better.  Knowing you are helping someone else in such a tangible way as bringing them a hot meal and a warm smile lets you know that you are doing at least one thing in your life that matters.