Sophomore Kurt Corsbie loves to volunteer and serve his community

By Lauren Rearick

As the end of the school year quickly approaches, members of the PHS Key Club hurry to get the last of their community service hours completed. Key Club, a volunteer organization found in high schools around the world, gets students involved in the act of helping others as well as their community.  PHS members are required to dedicate 50 hours per school year to volunteer work in order to remain a part of the club.

Although 50 hours of community service may seem like a daunting task, it is actually easier than one might think, according to sophomore member Kurt Corsbie. “It isn’t challenging for me to complete the hours because I do a lot of community service, and I am also involved in many different clubs, allowing me multiple opportunities for service.”

Key Club participants can fulfill their volunteer requirements at the organization or event of their choice, from non-profit organizations such as The Boys and Girls Club and the Women’s Care Center to school events such as blood drives and the after school tutoring program.

Some students may be hesitant to join Key Club due to the amount of time and effort that being a member requires, but current participants have unanimously found it to be a rewarding experience. “I love seeing how my service has changed someone’s life, and the effect that my service has,” Key Club president and senior Lindsay Renz said.

“The feeling that you have after you help someone is awesome, and changing a person’s life makes you feel great,” sophomore officer Lauren Tanner said.  Both girls say that they will continue volunteering over their upcoming summer vacation.  Renz says that she will serve her community this summer “by tutoring younger kids and helping at the tennis courts.”  Tanner, on the other hand, says that she will help out at the Parks department and her church.

Not only has Key Club been a rewarding experience for several PHS students, but it has also given them a new found love of helping others. When asked if being involved in this volunteer club made him more willing to give back, Corsbie said “I think that Key Club has made me more willing to help others because I used to not want to help others often, but now I do whenever possible.”

By getting more involved in their community, members of this Kiwanis-affiliated club have discovered that working for the good of others is a helpful and rewarding experience, and it is something that all PHS students should be a part of. “It is fun and gets you out into the community, and you meet new and great people,” Renz said.  According to Tanner, “Key Club is really fun, it’s all about community service, and it looks good on college applications.”

Sophomore Lauren Tanner knows that her community service is changing lives.