By Alicia Sanchez
Students at Plymouth High School have opportunities to give back to their community in different ways. Volunteering and donating to charities are two examples of what students can do to help out in Plymouth.
Giving back to one’s community is an act of kindness that has the potential to help people in need. Photo by: Alicia Sanchez
The reasons students choose to volunteer are varied. For example, freshman Mikayla Sommers says she volunteers “at Lifeplex whenever I can in exchange for a membership.” Other students volunteer for reasons that may not have any immediate gratification. Junior Amber Gonzales said she volunteers “in the community at Lincoln Jr. High with 5 Star every Tuesday, after school usually from 5:30 to 6 o’clock. I volunteer there because it helps me give back to the community and it also gives me a chance to work with a 7th and 8th grader and help them towards a better future.” Religion can also factor into a person’s decision to volunteer. Senior Stephanie Anderson volunteers because “I like helping other people, and benefiting them.” She said, “I volunteer in the Culver and Knox school systems with a program called Good News Club and we tell kids about Jesus and we have a lot of fun, play games, and learn.” From this, one can conclude that a person’s views determine where and why they volunteer.
Not only do students volunteer for various reasons, but people all around the world also help others for different reasons. Anderson said that a person might choose to donate to a certain charity “because they agree with the cause [it stands for] and they love to do it.” While that is true, Sommers said, they could also “volunteer because you are helping someone in need, and it makes you feel good.” Either way, Junior Ashley Halsey said, “The main purpose [of donating and volunteering] is to help the less fortunate. Those who help are important because they help people in need.” They are all probable motivations for a person’s decision to volunteer and donate.
One may ask himself or herself if he or she helps the community enough. Gonzales said, “I think most of Plymouth does a good job at giving back to the community, but I know there are many people that refuse to do anything for the community.” Sommers proposed a solution to this by saying, “Flyers, posters, radio ads are really useful ideas that we can use to encourage our community [to give back].” Halsey agrees and said that the Plymouth community could try “getting the word out and telling people.” Junior Molly Spencer said that people in Plymouth should volunteer at least once but they don’t have to. She went on to say, “You don’t have to volunteer, but even volunteering once is good. If you do it more than once, it’s awesome. You don’t have a certain amount of times you should volunteer.” She added onto that by saying, “I don’t believe you have to, but if you want to donate: donate as much as you want. Every penny counts.”
The Riley Dance Marathon is a fundraiser at Plymouth High School to allow people to donate to Riley Children’s Hospital. Photo by: Alicia Sanchez
Volunteering and donating are not the only ways one could give back to their community. Sommers said, “[A person] could volunteer out at the park, museum, and many other places.” Local food pantries and churches are also possible volunteering locations. Adding onto that, Gonzales said, “[A student could try] doing service in the park, helping out at the dog park, or helping your neighbors with outside work.” Spencer simply said that students could try to help others by “doing nice things. Just random acts of kindness.”
There are opportunities to help the Plymouth community for students who are willing to help. All one must do is try.