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Youth Forward Scholarship 2018

Name: Kahlil Perry Dover
From: Reston, Virginia
Votes: 0

Kahlil
Dover

3
March 2018

Youth
Forward Scholarship 2018

I have done volunteering in a multitude of areas, building houses,
weeding, cleaning houses, building decks, making lunch bags, helping
at my local community center, assisting triathlons, working at a
rehabilitation center, delivering meals to senior citizens, and much
more. I have done so many projects because my community and
communities outside of my location need the help. I have done roughly
12 hours per year, number fluctuating depending on different
variables, but in total I have over 150 hours of community service
done. Even with the large amount of hours I have completed I know
there is so much more that can be done for others in need.

With the number of jobs I’ve done my responsibilities have, of course,
changed from job to job. When assisting with the triathlons I’ve been
in charge of manning a canoe or boat and watched for swimmers that
need help. The triathlons are especially stressful because people
participating are trusting their lives in the hands of myself and
others around me. Freshman year of high school I went on a mission
trip to West Virginia and helped build houses, fixed broken down
trailer homes, painted, and cleaned yards for those less fortunate
and in some cases based on their health wouldn’t have been able to do
it themselves. The biggest challenge in volunteering that I’ve faced
is finding the time to do so. Everyone should go out a participate in
community service at least a couple times a year to give back. If
more people were to do so communities around the world would be in a
better situation.

The most satisfaction that I have received is from seeing how my actions
impact others. Even with simple tasks you can change someone’s life
either negatively or positively. Being able to talk to those I helped
in West Virginia after the project was over was priceless, to hear
what they have gone through and how much my help meant to them is
more than enough to encourage myself to do more. There are a couple
of lessons I’ve learned from my community service experiences. First
off, you don’t need to do a large project to help someone out, even
small projects have huge impacts. Secondly, everyone needs a little
help from time to time no matter their situation, some more than
others. And lastly, helping others and making them feel important
makes you feel better.