Giving Back to the Community and Growing Up

A few months ago while I was on a fifteen minute break from volunteering at the Northshore Senior Center, I was in the Cafe drinking a root-beer float. Seeing a man next to me, I smiled and said “Hi.” The conversation moved from names, to ethnicity to World War 2. He was a soldier in the war, and told me all about the atomic bombs and the semi-automatic rifles they had to deal with, as well as the poison gas. War sounded horrible, especially with all those weapons which were invented in the 20th century. It made me never think about war lightly again.

I have been volunteering for about two years at the Senior Center and I have helped quite a lot, but I have also gotten a lot out of it, like meeting people with amazing life experiences. As I am homeschooled, I'm not required to do community service, but I do because people appreciate you, they give you positive encouragement, I learn life and job skills, and research shows that those who volunteer live longer, healthier lives.

By assisting computer Facebook classes, doing one-on-one computer help and running virus scans on all the computers I have helped the Senior Center, but I have also learned a lot about computers. Of course I could have learned how to do that from a class, or by reading a computer science textbook, but this was hands-on and I was doing actual work instead of busywork. Lately I got my Food Handlers Permit so I could work in the cafeteria making and serving lunch. I have a very large newfound respect for food service staff and dishwashers.

In addition to the Senior Center, I have volunteered for Mountains to Sound and Hopelink. They were both fun experiences because I went monthly with a teen homeschool group, so we worked as well as chatted. I also volunteer for the Redmond Police Explorers. We go once a week and learn, for example, how to handcuff people or how to document a crime scene. Throughout the month, there are many opportunities to assist the police department by providing security. This is a really great opportunity for me because I am thinking about going into the criminal justice field.

All of these different experiences have helped me grow as a person. I've learned a lot of things, met some interesting people, planted 256 trees along I-90 and sorted food for low-income families. Knowing that I've done something worthwhile is a great feeling.

There are so many places to volunteer! Many of them have age minimums but in most cases if you are underage you can go with a parent. Here are a few places that might interest you in Woodinville or the surrounding area.

Little Bit Therapeutic Riding Center – volunteering age minimum 14.

Provides horseback riding for people with disabilities.

– volunteering age minimum 16-18 (depending on department).

Nonprofit no-kill animal shelter.

YMCA – volunteering age minimum 14.

Gym, youth services.

Evergreen Hospital – volunteering age minimum 16.

Assist patients in the patient care units and/or help at the front desk.

And so many more! I hope that you decide to volunteer sometime in your life.