On
Monday, Jan. 21, Penn State along with other universities and schools had the
day off for the recognition of Martin Luther King. Although we did not have
classes, many of us volunteered at Opportunity House for the morning/afternoon.
For those of you who do not know, Opportunity House is a shelter for those who
cannot be on their own. Individuals come here to seek help and receive meals. The
Opportunity House also has a Learning Center, which serves as a 24-hour daycare
service. This organization is a great program for getting people back on their
own two feet!
I
absolutely love this organization and volunteer there often through Penn
State! On Monday, we made lunch
for everyone. When you help out in the kitchen, you bring the food you plan on
making. Because of this ridiculous cold weather, we thought it would be a great
day for soup. We made grilled cheese with tomato soup, green beans, and
cookies. This lunch brought back great childhood memories of eating grilled
cheese and tomato soup in the elementary daysJ. The best feeling in the world is
knowing you helped someone. Just taking time out of your day from studying or
just hanging out with friends to help those less fortunate is the greatest
feeling in the world!
Before
starting my freshmen year here at Penn State Berks, I decided to do the
optional summer community service program through the college. We helped
deliver meals to the elderly, cleaned a local park, helped build a house with
Habitat for Humanity, and my favorite–working with Opportunity House. We were
sent into the Learning Center with the children. This is why it was my absolute
favorite; I absolutely love kids!
The night before
going to Opportunity House, we all went to Barnes and Noble to choose a book to
read to the kids. We chose to read Where
The Wild Things Are, a book we all remember from our childhood. After
figuring out what to read, we then came up with the craft to go along with the
book. Our craft was making monster puppets with brown paper bags! :) We acted
out the book for kids not just once … not twice … but three times. They could not
stop smiling and laughing. Knowing that we were responsible for their happiness
was an amazing feeling. One little boy actually started crying when I left,
which made me cry, but spending time with him and the others was absolutely
incredible and I will never forget this experience.
Volunteering for
organizations is a passion of mine and these memories are ones I will never
forget thanks to Penn State Berks! WE ARE …
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