Kacy Hensley

"It is the decision of this court that you be subject to work 80 hours of community service."

Such is a "punishment" that is routinely handed down to local junior high and high school students at the Midland Teen Court. I volunteered for several sessions of the Teen Court to get community service hours for the Abell Hangar scholarship.

From listening to the different cases and circumstances for which kids my age were getting into trouble, and from looking at each kid's face, I came to the conclusion that getting judged by a jury of your peers really has an impact on kids. Students my age and younger were in trouble for everything from curfew violation to minor in possession of alcohol, shoplifting, etc. Students acted as actual attorneys, but a real Midland County judge heard each case. We had to learn correct court etiquette and experienced first hand the workings of the justice system.

Seeing what my fellow students were going through in their lives, it also made me appreciate my parents constantly asking me where I was going, who I was going with, and what time I would be home.

I also did community service by working at the Childrens' Museum. It was here where I came to the conclusion that community service should not be construed as a punishment, but as a privilege and a way to give back to the community.

The Children's Museum is an awesome place where small children can let their imaginations go wild. There are rooms set up as a bank, a grocery store, a veterinarian's office, a home improvement store, a news station, a Burger King, etc. I had so much fun working there and playing with the children. One could almost see the wheels turning in their little heads as they imagined themselves as an architect, a banker, a veterinarian, a store owner or maybe even the next Katie Couric. I would listen to their conversations with each other as they would make believe they were in charge of money at a cash register, buying food for their "babies", giving shots to a pet or building a playhouse.

The older I get, I realize that it is very important to let kids actually PLAY, doing things that require physical activity and imagination. I believe that today, too many parents are just plopping their kids in front of a video game system and leaving them alone for hours at a time. Not only are they not having interaction with other children and human beings, but they are not truly using their imaginations and getting actual physical activity, which is so important to a child's development.

The Childrens' Museum is a valuable asset to the city of Midland, and I plan on taking my children there someday. I learned so much from listening to the children and playing with them. Working there was truly a learning experience for me, and I will be dropping in now and then to play with the kids.

I think the portion of my community service that meant the most to me was when I participated in Big Brothers/Big Sisters for an afternoon of fun with them at Gattiland. The little boy I was a "big sister'' to was named Joey. I wasn't sure what to expect, since we were told that most of the kids had some kind of problem at home. Joey was precious to me.

Having been to Gattiland so many times, I did not think anything about it, but this was his first time. He was totally astounded with the place. We were in a booth eating pizza, and I noticed he was being very quiet, and I asked him if everything was okay. He just got a big smile on his face and said, "I just love all the sounds in here. It makes me so happy." Wow. My heart just melted. I asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up, and he said, "I just want to make my mom happy." We went on to have a wonderful afternoon. He was picked to be the magician's assistant in front of the whole group, and I think that probably made his year.

I said goodbye to Joey, and left that day with a very warm feeling in my heart. I felt like I had really done something to help a kid. I will never forget being Joey's "Big Sister for a Day."

I was really not looking forward to working community service hours, but as I found out from all three places I worked, there is a lot we can learn from volunteering. On top of life lessons learned, I also got a scholarship, which I truly appreciate. It was a totally win-win situation for everyone.

Kelsey Peck

I had devoted the majority of my free time volunteering for The Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, trying to earn the Legacy scholarship. They had me reading different materials into a recorder and organizing cassettes and CDs in their library. But I thought I needed a break. So, that Saturday morning, I decided to volunteer at a COM swim meet. And what could be more relaxing than watching a bunch of hyperactive children race back and forth an Olympic-sized swimming pool?

After I signed in, I was given a stopwatch and clipboard and directed to the lane I was supposed to monitor. I was instructed to write down the times for anyone swimming in my lane. As the first child dove in and charged for the finish line, my vision of a relaxing morning at the pool was shot to pieces. Most of these children were really fast. If you took your eyes off the lane for more than a moment, you would miss one child entering or another leaving. As it turned out, I didn’t even have time to glance at my book.

Most people, when they think of volunteer work, think of repairing houses with Christmas in April, navigating the crazy streets of Midland for Meals on Wheels, or other activities requiring a lot of time and/or special skills. Most people don’t think of the little things, like reading books and Bible lessons aloud for a recorder, or timing for a children’s swim meet. If these things do come to mind, people think “big deal”. Surely these jobs cannot be that significant. Surely they cannot be that much of a help to anyone. These people could not be more wrong!

It’s these small, seemingly insignificant tasks that really show people that you care and can make a difference in their lives. I watched many other people that morning, people not motivated by scholarship offers, give up their Saturday morning to help make a children’s swim meet possible. There were many other things these people could have been doing. They could have slept in, gone to the golf course, or have done some of those “pressing” household chores that pile up during the week. Instead, they where at the COM, watching a bunch of hyperactive children race back and forth in an Olympic-sized swimming pool. Unlike myself, they were not seeking a reward like a scholarship. They were satisfied with just watching the kids enjoy their swim meet. It was humbling. It makes me wonder why I never “just volunteered” on a regular basis.

Volunteering for the Legacy scholarship has been an eye-opening experience. It has helped me see that it doesn’t really take any special skills or talents to make a difference in someone’s life. All that’s required is a little free time.

Chelsie Robbins

Hi, my name is Chelsie Robbins, I am 17 years old, and this is my second semester at Midland College. When I found out about the Legacy scholarship and that I needed to have 40 hours of community service, I thought that wasn't a bad deal.

What I got out of the community service I did through the hospital, and now at Greathouse Elementary School, was more than impacting on my life. At the hospital I would take flowers to patients in their rooms, even visit with them a few minutes. I would help in any way I could in the gift shop, whether at the cash register or rearranging the shelves. I also helped at the north information desk to direct people were they were to go, and help them find patients rooms. Then there were times I was called to a doctor's office and was asked to help patients out to their vehicles. This experience left me with great satisfaction. Not only was I able to help others in need, but also to lift them up and give them encouraging words.

I was able to notice what a smile did for some people who might have had a bad day, or what a helping hand did for someone who was stressed. The acts of kindness, giving up some of my time for others and lending a helping hand, brought many blessing in my life. It showed me that I'm not the only person on this earth that wants to be taken care, listened to, or just get someone's help on a stressful day. This experience also helped me to be more patient with others and loving them in my day to day life.

After the first semester ended I wanted to volunteer someplace else. I started thinking about wanting to become a school teacher, and decided that the best place was at my old elementary school. At Greathouse Elementary School, I help Miss Hall (a kindergarten teacher) with her students in the afternoon. When they come back to the classroom after P.E., Miss Hall might have me read to them, or help out in their centers. I've even been able to help them out when they don't understand something on their homework papers. I have an absolute blast every time I'm there. I love to work with kids and I would consider this to be a great privilege, because I'm still having to learn patients and sternness at the same time, which will help me in the future when being a teacher. I have been able to learn different techniques that will help me get started with a class of my own.

The community service that I have done, and will continue to do, has not been a waste of my time at all. I have learned many things about people and how to deal with them. I have learned the importance of having patience with kids and adults, and loved every bit of it.

Little

Amanda Tinney

Now, having been with my little sister for nine months, the memories we share are joy-filled. We have been through days where nothing seems to go right for either one of us, but outweighing the sad days are those where nothing could be better. Gifts for those serving in the military, shows at Midland Community Theater, feeding the ducks, and baking cakes and cookies are all things experienced in the past and probably waiting in the future to be shared together again.

The smile that shapes her beautiful face when she runs up to me to give me a hug when picking her up for a “night on the town” is priceless. I too had one girl, now a young mom, who interacted with me a lot like my little sister and I do, and I still remember her and am even connected with her until this day. The investment made by this young lady in my life is something that can never be taken away, and this was my intent when applying to Big Brothers Big Sisters: to make an investment.

Valuable lessons have poured from the relationship between me and an eight-year-old little girl. Taking her out to public places takes my authority to a different level than teaching young ones in a classroom or babysitting children in their own homes. Therefore, helping her use her manners when eating and conducting herself properly in public places -such as no running - is new to me as a single young adult, but will be very valuable when I have kids of my own.

Along a similar line, comes having to say “no.” As hard as it is, when she, or even her little brother when he joins us on an outing, is begging for more time, tokens, or candy than they already have had, there is point where enough is enough. This is a lesson for anyone dealing with kids, but the valuable part of the lesson for me is finally realizing what my parents went through when I was a kid and appreciating what they did to make me who I am today. I hope that I can be a person to my little sister like my parents or the young lady I mentioned earlier was to me.

My experience with community service has been one to remember, from pictures, memories, and more. Coming from a high school where community service was rewarded, continuing it through college has been rewarding, not because of recognition like in high school, but through lessons, stories and relationships.

Lauryn Wells

“Well, fine then Miss…Miss…Miss Cupcake guard!”

I was … the cupcake guard. A friend and I worked at the community soup kitchen, and guarded the deserts, helped serve dinner, cleaned up, and focused on being friendly to everyone. I loved everything about the soup kitchen, the food, the company, and the families, and that experience changed my life.

I have never been the most outspoken person, but when I started helping out at the soup kitchen, I began to change. There were many things that had to be done in a soup kitchen. Someone had to say the prayer, “I’ll do it.” Someone had to help serve, “We’ll do it.” Someone had to help clean up after a very full child had an accident, then it was “You do it.”

Everyday there was something new, but that is what kept it exciting. Dinner was served at a specific time every day, and second helpings followed promptly forty-five minutes later. When the people came in, I learned that they were all broken families. I had never realized how lucky I was that I had a whole family but I also felt sad. Understanding that these wonderful kids were going to grow up not knowing what a family unit really was, I made it my mission every day to visit with each person and just have a conversation with him or her, whether it was about the weather or just how his or her day had been. I just wanted them to know that someone was there and cared. By the time volunteer work was completed, I knew everyone who came in, and they knew me. We were friends.

As for being the “Cupcake Guard”, each person was allowed one desert and one dessert only, and being somewhat new at the time, and not wanting to make a bad impression, I followed the rules to the letter. If someone asked for a second helping early I would tell him or her to go to the table and sit back down and wait for me to call for the second helping. “Dang girl, you’re harsh,” I often heard. One of the adults, who had helped out at the soup kitchen for years, just laughed at me.

One day when I was cleaning up, out of the corner of my eye, I saw this man sneak his way back up to where the deserts were and just as he had found the perfect one and was reaching down to grab it, I said quite loudly, “I don’t think so, sir.” Surprised, he jerked up and looked at me with a smile and stuttered, “I was just grabbing one for my friend who couldn’t make it today.” Smiling, I replied, “Uhh huhh, sure you were. I know you have had your one, and you know the rules, one per person, and no food outside the building.”

I watched him pick up his violin case and walk out, he turned around and yelled to me, “Well, fine then Miss…Miss…Miss Cup Cake Guard!” From then on, everyone in the building knew me as the Cup Cake Guard.

Some lessons in life are truly difficult to learn, while others may be easy, but either way the consequences have profound effects on one’s life. The Miss Cupcake Guard experience was one of those lessons that had a great effect on me. In that wonderful place, full of broken families, I opened up and saw life through different eyes. It taught me in a real way that at any moment my life could change, and I could be one of the people coming in for help in the soup kitchen. I shall never look at the homeless person in the same smug way again.