Community Service is an important part of any community.  It provides resources to those who need help, and gives those who volunteer an opportunity to make their community a better place.  Seniors at Tahoma High School are required to do at least 10 hours of community service in order to graduate. The Tahoma school district is very passionate about helping others, one of the three c’s is community after all.

Volunteering can change people in a number of ways.  Ashley Garcia Celis, a junior at Tahoma High School stated that volunteering “taught her a lot about teamwork and how to talk to people.”  This is important because in order to volunteer anywhere you have to be able to work together with others and you have to step out of your comfort zone in order to volunteer, but it’s worth it in the long run.  

Laura Newman, the Director of Prevention and Intervention Services at Maple Valley Community Center, gave her perspective on the benefits of community service.  She said, “I volunteer because I love helping others. I’ve always been blessed to have everything I need in life and I know that there are many others less fortunate which has inspired me to volunteer.”  Furthermore, said that volunteering “reminds me that there is always something you can do to help no matter how small you think it may be.” That to me, is the most important part of volunteering.

Volunteering can change one’s view about the world and about making a difference.  Many people don’t believe they can make a difference, but even if it’s a small difference it still counts.  Tahoma High School’s requirement that all seniors volunteer is an important one. It can help make us all better citizens as we move into the adult world.