Throughout my high school career, I have volunteered for four hours a week at Shawnee Mission Medical Center. At first, this task started out as just wanting to gain experience in a hospital since I wanted to go into the medical field, but it soon turned into a weekly delight. Volunteering is much more than the hours that come with it, and should be valued for the experiences that it gives.

Volunteering gives me much stronger commitment skills. I don’t have to come in if I don’t want to, but it would impact the people who work there and the patients that come in. By committing myself to get up at 7 a.m. and volunteer for four hours once a week, it makes the smaller things a lot easier to commit to. This commitment spans to my other activities; I usually volunteer for tasks when no one else will.

There is also a moral aspect that is very rewarding with volunteerism. Helping people without pay takes a lot more effort, because you are not monetarily benefitting. However, helping people is good for morality. It helps me to put things into perspective and see that my problems are not always as significant as they seem.

When I was on the NICU floor, there was a baby that had been there for three months. I saw the same family members come in weekly and never saw their smiles fade as they walked through that door. They helped me see the purpose to why I choose to volunteer and taught me a lesson about the things that life throws at you.

Volunteering helps me be a better person. It should be valued for the experiences that it gives you, rather than the way it may help you look on a resume.