Name: Libby Schilling
From: Wellington, Florida
Grade: 11
School: Homeschooled
Votes: 15 
Taking the Time to Give Back
In 1998, I was born in China. I was raised in an orphanage and I always
enjoyed helping the other children. In 2009, I was adopted and came
to America to my forever family and started out helping my mom with
Yorkie 911 Rescue in New York. In 2015, I volunteered at Vinceremos
Therapeutic Riding Center during fundraising activities for the
Special Olympics. I also volunteered at Calvary Chapel Fort
Lauderdale for childcare during services. I really enjoyed
volunteering for those community services and I feel happy to help
others.
I also volunteered at the Wellington Public Library, which is in my
community. I wanted to give my time there to help others and
encourage people to read books. During my time there, I volunteered 2
days a week for a total of 163 hours over the 2 years. As a volunteer
there, I had many responsibilities. My responsibilities were
preparing books, DVD’s, and CD’s for shelving. I was also
responsible for separating and organizing books, DVD’s, and CD’s
to be returned or picked- up for other libraries. In addition, I also
organized labels, stamp new book arrivals, and encourage kids and
adults to read books for the summer reading program. The biggest
challenge that I faced as a volunteer, was making sure that
everything was done in-line with the established library system.
Watching kids learn and want to read and have fun was one of my
greatest satisfactions during my time at the library. I learned that
taking the time to help and encourage others is very important.
Volunteering gives me a personal sense of accomplishment knowing that
I helped brighten someone’s day.
In the future, I hope that my activities will help the younger
generations to step forward and gain an understanding of the
importance of helping their community, one another; allowing them to
pass on a tradition of giving to future generations. I really enjoyed
volunteering at the library and helping people out. Volunteering has
been and always will be very important in my life. I hope that my
future volunteering will help and encourage others to feel the same.
In conclusion, I believe that it is right that both colleges and high
schools now require each student to have community services hours. I
hope that all communities will let each student learn the importance
of community service and giving back; building lasting friendships
and give them a personal sense of accomplishment as well.
