Humanity is shaped by our experiences and our environment. Today I am a hardworking, compassionate, and positive person because of my upbringing and experiences along the way. From a young age, I witnessed my parents live with compassion at the forefront of their minds and as a result, I grew up inspired to live a compassionate life as well. When I began to attend York Catholic and was required to have 16 hours of volunteering I was concerned if I could meet these expectations; however, I quickly surpassed this number and fell in love with volunteering. I find peace in helping others and comfort in knowing that I am making a difference. While my service to the community feels simple, it creates an enormous difference when the people I help smile or laugh. My favorite place to volunteer is at the Catholic Harvest Food Pantry. Here I can connect with families and people who may not be as fortunate as me but have so much to give. They teach me the importance of family and friends and show me that love can overcome all odds. I distribute food and necessities, take phone calls, and help clean and restock the food pantry. Not only has it made me grateful for my many blessings and privileges, but I also have developed a growing concern about the welfare of others. Connecting with these families and supplying them with necessities is just one service that I provide to my community. For the past two years, I have been given the opportunity to mentor cheerleaders in grade-school. They are silly, energetic, and always know how to make me laugh. I remember the days when I was in elementary school and grew as a person because of my cheerleading coaches and I am grateful that I get to return the favor to these sweet girls. I teach them cheers and stunts, attend their games, and have become their biggest cheerleader. I love knowing that I am making a positive impact in their lives. I also find opportunities to serve my church community. During Lent on Fridays, I volunteer at the fish fry, and by bussing tables, greeting people at the entrance, and serving people their meals I help my community connect. Another source of service through the church is decorating the church for Christmas and then taking down the decorations once the Christmas season is over. The church and the members of the church have benefited from my acts of service as I've helped raise money, taken on duties of other members to help them prioritize more pressing matters, and enhanced the quality of the atmosphere to reflect how Christmas is a season of love, hope, and peace. By volunteering at my church I have strengthened our community in helping draw everyone together. Lastly, a service opportunity that lies dear in my heart is the Special Olympics competition. I have become passionate about supporting children with autism, down-syndrome, or other impairments after spending a summer with my cousin who has autistic needs. At the Special Olympics my friends and I watched and cheered on all of the competitors and gave them good luck cards before they competed. This gave the children so much confidence and allowed them to experience joy and excitement. Our efforts may seem minuscule, but had a lasting impact on the lives we touched. Volunteering allows for personal growth and development, but more importantly it gives people comfort and peace in knowing that there is light amidst all hardships. My volunteering has uplifted the community and inspired others to volunteer too.