By actively deciding to be involved within my community by participating in numerous charities, I’ve strived to positively impact the people around me regardless of their circumstances. Although I’ve served in over fifteen organizations, many have grown to be the most prominent and important to me. Rays of Light developed into a personal favorite of mine because of the uniqueness of its mission. There, volunteers are assigned a special needs child to hang out and play with for a Friday night to give their parents a night out or evening to relax for a few hours. The faces of the kids light up with excitement when with us. Working with Amanda, I noticed how she exhibited the most pure joy after throwing the ball or even knocking a tower over with blocks. Her slowness to anger allowed my eyes to be open to enjoy simple things as a result. Their emotional displays remind me that despite their disabilities, they can find peace and happiness in their everyday lives. I seek to look on the brighter side because of them. Another organization I serve is Feed My Starving Children, where we pack meal pouches to feed undernourished kids. Each box of food feeds one for an entire year. Sometimes, we’ll even race to see who can complete the most boxes quickly, erupting in bragging rights from healthy competition. Knowing that through my hard work, I can assist many children in other countries who do not know when or where their next meal will come from inspires me to relish in gratitude. Similarly, I bag the hand-picked groceries from the storehouse for community members at the Network of Community Ministries Fresh Produce. The sense of relief on their faces illustrates the hardships and worries they previously held in stressing about providing meals for themselves and their families. Despite any language barrier, I try to communicate with kindness. This kindness also extends to other volunteer capacities, including at Walnut Place Nursing Home and the Metrocrest Services of Dallas Holiday Storehouse. Each centers on making others feel seen and celebrated. From intensive games of Bingo to helping a parent shop for Christmas, it's about recounting and making memories that last lifetimes. The smiles make me realize the impact of tenderness and compassion, highlighting the importance of never taking time and life for granted because, as I’ve learned, it goes by too fast. My appreciation for the opportunities I am given has dramatically grown, in addition to my perspective and awareness of others. The ability to get involved in the community proves very valuable to me because I am able to affect the society around me with uplifting and positive impact on others. Through my various acts of service, my worldview expanded because of the realization that I am able to have control over my influence and response into the world as well as feel a sense of goodness and satisfaction of knowing that I am able to make a difference in the community around me. My communication skills of teamwork and problem solving have also vastly developed due to the repeated attempts in completing a task and working with the other volunteers to achieve a goal around me. I enjoy serving because it allows me to contribute to making a more significant societal difference.