Community Service Reflective Narrative

To start, community service is a good way to meet new people and is very fun to do. In the beginning of ninth grade, that is when I began. My parents had urged me to start all summer, but I put it off. I thought it was something not needed and not worth my time. This thought has changed, since my completion of the twenty hours needed.

First, there were four different things that I have done to complete all my hours. They are working at the Allgrove and Seymour Fun Runs, working at the Foodshare, running a bounce house on the East Granby Little League Opening Day, and running the down marker during the flag football season. At the Allgrove Fun Run, I had to stand at one of the checkpoints during the race and cheer the runners on, and make sure they did not cut across to the other side of the course. I also had to pick up and put out cones that showed the outline of the course. At the Seymour Fun Run, I stood along one of the sides of the soccer field, and I cheered on the kids who participated, and made sure no one cut the race down to cheat on the course. At the Foodshare, I would put boxes together, that could later be packed with food. I also was sorting various meats, that would be distributed to local families requiring food, or who cannot economically afford it. At the East Granby Little League Opening Day, I had the job to maintain and run a bounce house. The task was really easy, and had helped me get some more hours in. The last thing I did was to run the down marker during flag football games. The down marker was made of pipes, and it has numbers on cards that you would flip depending on the down that you are on. You just had to walk up and down the field, where ever the ball ended up going.

Second, I learned the significant importance of my community service work. For the Fun Runs, they were easy to do and participate in at the time. Now looking back at them though, it had helped me learn to be more patient with other people mainly little kids, but it also had helped me learn that I could give kids that last burst of energy to finish the race. I gave them this energy, by talking with them as they ran and by cheering them on. While I took shifts at the Foodshare, I learned the value and impact it had to help to distribute food to local people and families requiring support. While running a bounce house at the East Granby Little League Opening Day, I built on the learned patience. I had dealt with little kids who were not good at listening, and it had taken me a while to get them to focus. What I learned while doing the down marker for flag football games is that I could still have fun, watching a sport I used to play. I enjoy football, but being within the action of the game makes that experience better.

Third, is the impact on the community of the work that I have completed. The impact of the fun run, is that I encourage kids to do their best, and to complete the race. I feel as if they were given an attitude boost if they thought they could not finish the race, and more confidence that they could succeed in that race. The impact from the food share is that my work helps to benefit other people. I worked shifts at the food share to help to distribute food across the state to local families and people. The impact of my work at the East Granby Little League Opening Day is that my guidance and newly learned patience for helping the youth, can lead to them to follow after me and to guide peers and people younger than them. The impact of me taking the shift to use the down marker during flag football is to help run the game and keep the players in line and to make sure they are behind the line of play.

To conclude, I enjoyed my community service work. The idea of helping others in the bounce house, the down marker, the food share, and the fun run is great. I now understand the importance of helping others, and enjoy doing so. I am happy that my parents pushed me to start my work because I know the benefits of helping others. This is an experience others should have if they continue to do their community service work.