Want a reason to smile? (Hint: Go serve!)

Sarah Remund is a Social Media Intern for the 2016-2017 Youthlinc Service Year. She and four other Interns are traveling to local service sites through the year to capture special Youthlinc moments between volunteers and the communities they serve. 

The start of the year is always a crazy time in everyone’s lives. People are starting new projects, getting organized for the new year, and planning for the exciting times to come. This year, try to plan and organize time that you are able to serve locally in your community! There are many incredible places and programs that are always looking for volunteers, so make it a new year’s resolution to go out into your community and serve those around you!

I was fortunate enough to visit some after school programs that teach enthusiastic immigrant children life lessons, as well as English lessons. One of my favorite visits was when I visited students at Real Life at Evergreen Jr. High and they had a lesson on financial planning and money use. It was so refreshing to see all these sweet faces that were so excited to learn about things that are new to them and will help them better their lives.

One of the games we played was to see who could come up with a certain amount of money the fastest, using paper money and plastic coins. This was both an excellent idea and quite hilarious. The rules of the game were that you had to stay completely silent while scrounging to find the perfect amount of money to present, however, these kids got a little too excited and the whole “no talking” rule became nonexistent. Fake money was soon being flung wildly throughout the room because of course they wanted to win the candy bar at the end. Despite the craziness of the activity, it was such a fun and engaging activity where none of the kids lost interest. I loved seeing the sweet smiles and hysterical laughs that came from this friendly competition, and also seeing that these kids truly did learn something from the lesson. It wasn’t just a lesson that they will forget about the next day, and I truly believe it made a positive impact on most these kids lives.

I love seeing all the positive benefits that come from doing simple acts of service throughout our community. It honestly is one of the most rewarding things in the world and I believe that everyone should get involved. If you are wanting to get more involved with local service but don’t know how, check out the Youthlinc Local Service Directory.

Blog Sarah Remund, 2017 Social Media Intern