Youth Forward Scholarship

Krysta
Sheppard
Youth
Forward Scholarship
I
center my community service projects on a club named Chick-Fil-A
Leader Academy. In Chick-Fil-A Leader Academy we all work together to
make changed within our community. We participate in what is called
leader labs, and this is where we plan out what projects we will be
working on for that month or longer. The Academy gives each and every
one of its members a chance to step up and take on a role of
leadership. I have completed various activities through the academy
such as meal packing and helping the homeless. We did meal packing to
give food to those in faraway places such as Haiti and India, who
were living in poverty. All that those who received the food had to
do was put the ingredients sealed into boiling water and then eat. We
hosted events to help the homeless in which we collected small
necessities that those living on the streets could use such as combs,
and socks, and even feminine products. We also worked with a group
known as Home Works of America in which we provided lunch that we
made right in our school over the weekend, and delivered the bagged
lunches to volunteers who were helping rebuild houses in our
community that needed help but couldn't afford to get repairs done.
Not only have I made an impact on these things in my community but
they have impacted me too, leading me in the direction to apply to be
an ambassador of the organization. I was inspired to do this because
of all of the things that had been done though the club, and I did
not want to stop being a part of the activities. Being accepted into
the academy in the first place just made me feel like my love for
community service had really been highlighted and appreciated because
I had been chosen along with about 25 others out of our entire class.
It was definitely a process to do several of the things that we did,
and sometimes took several meetings and months to plan, but they all
paid off when we were seeing the change happening in our community
while also being a part of it. That was probably one of the hardest
parts, being patient. We had to practice working together but also
allowing certain people to step up to certain roles that fit them the
best. I have learned so many values through the club, and have
reached countless accomplishments with my family that has grown
through the academy. When I started participating in community
service when I joined high school, just like everyone else, I was
really only doing it to get my hours in and get my "free 100"
grade in my English class. I never thought it would become such a big
part of me. Last year as a junior I completed over 70 hours of
community service. This only happened because I started to see the
effects of what community service really does. By participating in
things such as meal packing events and homeless helping events, you
see the change right before your eyes, and you're a part of it. I
think that when I realized that, I realized what volunteering really
meant to me. I love being part of a change that is way bigger than
me. I know that when I come back to my hometown in years to come that
changes that me and my fellow classmates made will be carried out
through the students in the schools still, and that gives me hope!