Sacrifice for Happy Souls by Alexis

Sacrifice for Happy Souls by Alexis - January 2017 Scholarship Essay

The volunteer opportunity that helped me to make a difference in my community was volunteering for Suncoast Hospice. My mother and I both signed up to volunteer. She was a respite volunteer while I was a teenage volunteer. Suncoast Hospice is a non-profit organization in Pinellas County that provides support to families with terminally ill family members, HIV support and senior citizen care. I had the opportunity to provide emotional support by working in the hospital assisting the nurses by helping at the desk. I made blankets for senior citizens, get well cards and even homemade cookies for pets.

This volunteer experience was more personal to me since my family also had to use the services for my maternal grandmother who transitioned on in August of 2015. The same floor that I volunteered on my grandmother spent her last few days. It was then that I learned the importance of how valuable my services were as a volunteer. The same sacrifice that my mother and I made was rendered back to us.

Volunteering to help others and giving back to the community has been a part of my life since I was in elementary school. My mother has always encouraged my brother and I to always give back. Especially during holiday seasons. We use to make homemade cards and fruit baskets to take to nursing homes during Christmas. We would feed the homeless on Thanksgiving. I have learned that it does not take much, but it means a lot if you give cheerfully from the heart. To see the peace and joy on the receiver’s face makes volunteering a sacrifice I will never ever regret or get tired of doing.