Name: Solomon DeLeon
From: New Woodstock, New York
Votes: 0
At
Christmas time during my junior and senior years I chose to do bell
ringing for the Salvation Army. I had chosen it for may reasons.
First off, my High school was offering it as a volunteer work and I
needed forty hours to graduate. So, I decided it would be a good way
to rack some hours up. This may sound selfish, but there were more
reasons. Secondly, I really admire the salvation army. I have been
buying stuff from there all my life, and I had found out recently
that for every single dollar you give to them about ninety-six cents
goes to charity. It was good to know I would be doing work for an
organization whose main focus is on pure charity. Lastly, I just
thought that it would be fun. All this combined made me want to do
this.
I
chose to work three Saturdays in December from 6 to 8. I would go to
one of the local drugstores in my town and ring bells in the lobby.
My dad even came to help me out. It was very simple to do. Whenever I
saw someone coming in or out of the store, I would ring my bell in a
way that did not seem obnoxious or forceful. Since I was the last
shift that day, I would help the person who came by at the end put
the bells and bucket away.
One
challenge I faced as a volunteer was just dealing with the cold for
two hours. My fingers and toes would get cold and I had to stand the
whole time, which was very tiring. I also struggled with feelings of
just not wanting to be there and wanting to spend my two hours
somewhere else. Overtime, these feelings abated, and I got used to
the cold a little. It became very fun to do after a while and my dad
being there and ringing with me just made it so much more special.
The
biggest satisfaction I got with this activity was just knowing so
much of the money that came into the bucket went to charity. As I
said earlier, ninety six percent of all that is donated to the
salvation army goes to charity. This is not the case with other
charity organizations. For example, if you donate one dollar to
UNICEF, only six cents go to the charity. The rest handles
bureaucratic things. For Goodwill, nothing you give goes to Charity.
That is not the case with the salvation army. I was happy to help an
organization that stays true to providing for the needy.
From
serving here, I have taken a better interest in volunteering for good
organizations. I would not say I learned anything new or drastic, but
just a reminder that it is so satisfying to give than to receive as
the Bible says. It is so true.
In
the future I would love to do this again. Maybe when I am out of
college and have more time, I will try to do this again. I hope
through my volunteer efforts that more money can come into the
Salvation Army that can be used for good things. If I were to come
back in a decade or two, I think my activities would have made a
difference. Just earning a few dollars goes a long way. I may never
know the outcome, but I can make a pretty good guess. I really think
I made a tiny difference that may have meant so much to someone. I
hope.
