Many young people view a wealthy life in terms of materialism and professional success. They view society as something that bestows wealth without expecting anything in return. We parents and educators need to do a better job of teaching them that much is expected from those who have received much. In other words, to paraphrase John F. Kennedy, “Ask not what your community can do for you, but ask what you can do for your community.”Many young people get involved in community service to boost their high school record for their college admissions. However, the lucky ones learn how helping others for its own sake is one of the best ways to enrich life. When we focus on giving back to the community that gave us so much we will truly embody the highest principle of patriotism.

It is everyone’s responsibility to participate in community service. The weakness of leaving community service solely to the government is that, by its very nature, it will often overlook smaller needy groups and individuals. As noted by Thomas Jefferson, “The purpose of government is the provide the greatest good for the greatest number.” This is the accepted definition of a good government’s practical capabilities and limitation. This approach, however, begs for another approach to help the marginal folks who are often not cared for.

The words morality, duty, ethics, empathy, care, generosity, altruism, goodness, kindness, humility and love come to mind when talking about community service or rather its volunteers.

Volunteerism, quality volunteerism, long-term volunteerism, non-forced volunteerism and personally satisfying volunteerism is going to be the key to meeting most of the “soft” needs of the quietly desperate and invisible people of our society.

It is my opinion that going to a soup kitchen and serving food once a year at Thanksgiving is not volunteerism or community service. Rather such service is aimed not so much about making others feel good as it is to make oneself feel good.

Similarly, I have seen students doing “community service” not to help the needy but to fulfill a need in their application for college, and those guilty of misdemeanors working off “community service hours” for a non-violent violations of the law. Rarely do these so-called volunteers have much impact on meeting the real needs of the needy.

Volunteerism and community service should be driven by the love of one’s fellow citizens and by compassion any sympathy. A Volunteer should find one person who can be impacted the most. This person can be senior citizen who needs just a bit of companionship and maybe a chance to get out of the house ; to eat at a restaurant, shop or see a movie. Most of all, this person yearns to have human contact with a caring person.

Effective community service should not be costly, involve long hours or daily commitments. Effective community service requires dependability, quality human interaction, non-judgmental understanding, empathy, kindness and lots of fun and humor. While it is an important responsibility, it should not be a burden or one will soon quit.

If we go into community service with our eyes wide open and our emotions under control, much literature and anecdotal evidence indicate that it is the volunteer who receives more than the beneficiary. Working outside one’s tiny psycho-cultural and socioeconomic realities broadens the volunteer in ways that can never be predicted. One grows more sophisticated socially and culturally; one develops communication skills; one develops a much deeper understanding of diversity, and one learns to develop qualities and skills that will make a better human being.

It is our social, moral, ethical and civic duty to make an extra effort to get beyond our own selfish concerns and give of ourselves without asking for anything in return. The proof that we are good community is in the number of volunteers who serve.


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