ENGL 130, Hometown Mini-Essay B

For a male Red Bluff High School student, there are two reasons per year to rent a tuxedo. To keep down costs and confusion, both events always fall on the same weekend. The events are the Chemistry Affair and the Winter Formal dance. I have participated in each of these, both as a fun loving student, and as a volunteer in the setup process. I have found that they are worth the hassle of the tux, even if it’s only to see how good you look. Although these are the only black-tie affairs of the year, they are certainly not the only events available that need volunteers. In high school, the CSF club of which I was a member arranges to set up many of the events. This helps students learn what it’s like to volunteer, and is a good way to get to know your classmates and your community.

Growing up in Red Bluff, I was involved in volunteer work all my life. My parents would participate in events like the pancake breakfast, or the Dairyville Orchard Festival, and as soon as I was old enough I also participated. By doing this, I became well known in my community, especially among the older people. This actually became almost scary as I grew older, because people would see me around and ask me how school was going, without me having any idea who they were. But it also offered me opportunities, such as when the annual Dairyville scholarship came up and I was awarded the highest amount. Since I had worked with all the people who decided on the scholarships, they knew I was deserving. This is the type of opportunity that presents itself more easily in small towns like Red Bluff.

Because Red Bluff is small, a higher percentage of the people who live there have volunteered. It’s really easy to volunteer in high school, as there are a few clubs dedicated to volunteer work. The CSF club doesn’t just set up for events, but also has an ongoing tutoring program which I was a part of. I was able to help other students mostly in math, and so their grades went up, the school benefited, and I was able to help a friend and learn techniques that help for teaching. After that experience, I tutored other people at home and also used the techniques in a customer service job. The skills I got from volunteering as a tutor will continue to help me in college too, as study skills.

When I was a senior in high school, we were required to do three days of community service, called Senior Make-A-Difference days. We got these days off from school to go to some area in the community, and every senior had to do it. A group of my old classmates went to our elementary school to fix up the playground and do whatever else they wanted us to do. We arranged classrooms, painted play equipment, pulled weeds, and did other general volunteer-type stuff. It was really a gratifying experience, because we knew the people who this work benefited. My sister still went to the school at that time, so I knew she would be playing in a fresher environment. My mom and old teachers worked there, so I knew that I was helping them out, giving something back for all the years that they had spent forming me into an educated member of society. Although most of the teachers probably didn’t know who had done it, or they thought it was their own staff, we still felt great about it. And for the few of us that volunteered at that school, it’s something that we’ll always be able to share.

Sharing is really in the essence of community service. You have to take time out of your busy or not so busy schedule to just go out and help someone you don’t know. Share your time, and your energy, so that they don’t have to use so much of theirs. If you know you’ll be free for a weekend, but don’t have any plans, volunteering in your community is definitely a great thing to do. After doing it once, I realized that it wasn’t some burden to help others. It isn’t like a job that you have to go to because it can always be something different. You can work with children or senior citizens. You can paint a playground or clean off graffiti. You can plant a tree in a forest or pull weeds from the city’s flower garden. Volunteer work is as various as the people who volunteer, and in Red Bluff, it’s another one of the things that holds everyone together.