Published in the February 3-16, 2016 issue of Morgan Hill Life

By Diana Frias Franco

Diana Frias Franco

Diana Frias Franco

Never in my mind would I have thought community involvement would be one of my most loved hobbies.

Growing up, I had heard of it only as a graduation requirement and something to dread. On television, I would watch shows about students who left their volunteer hours until the last minute and then scrambled to get them completed. Almost every source I found stated that community service was boring, a waste of time, and just a school requirement to be fulfilled. I almost fell for the misleading stories, but as I grew older and began volunteering myself, I found that community service was quite the opposite of what I thought it was. It was fun.

One Christmas season, I volunteered to help out at a holiday dinner for children who had been abused and were in a difficult financial situation. When I arrived at the dinner, the facilitator told me that I would be in charge of handing out gifts to the children after Santa Claus had made his big entrance.

Previously, with the influence of fictional shows and high school alumni, I had believed that my time here would be worthless and utterly unexciting.

But on the contrary, it was very enjoyable. As I handed children their gifts, I found they were really open and would often make conversation with me. They would talk about their Christmas list to Santa, holiday plans and how excited they were to be there.

After dinner, they invited me to play games with them. I ended up making several new friends. As the families left, children and parents alike thanked all the volunteers for a splendid dinner party.

I learned that my time was very worthwhile and I left knowing I had made a difference in their lives. I left that experience carrying in my heart a new meaning of what it means to share your time with your community and serve others.

Many of us walk through life without noticing the situations and difficulties faced by others in their lives; we take things for granted. We don’t realize how much we have and how much we could share with our community.

By serving those in our community, we can also make friendships, develop compassion and empathy for others, and come to understand social injustice in the world.

Serving others in our community brings people together, breaks social barriers and improves our understanding of one another. Giving back to our community is an act of civic responsibility that enhances personal growth, improves self-esteem, fosters empathy and self-efficiency, and builds camaraderie and team-building skills. Volunteering is good for you in so many ways. It can help to reduce stress and strengthen your immune system. It is a fun and healthy way to give back to your community and at the same time take care of yourself.

Next time you see an opportunity to serve and volunteer in your community, give it a try.

You can join a community involvement club at school, or look online to find local organizations that interest you and need your help. The simple act of writing a card for an elder or baking a batch of cookies for a patient can go a long way.

You can also serve by donating to drives and organizing fundraisers and events. Adults should also encourage their children and serve as a family. Doing so will provide a chance to teach the next generation and acts an opportunity to share something so much more meaningful than another afternoon in front of the television screen.

Let’s all do our part to reduce the inequity in our society while making our souls a bit bigger, and serve others with compassion, empathy and love.

Diana Frias Franco, 14, is a freshman at Presentation High School in San Jose. Her hobbies and interests are theater, piano, community service and science.