Rugg 1

Jay Rugg
Gateway to University Honors
15 October 2014
Reflection on Community ervice an! "nvolvement
What?
One of my greatest interests an! #assions is community involvement$ On one level%
community service is about volunteering one&s time an! energy into activities t'at will benefit a
grou# or in!ivi!uals in a society$ ('e #ossible #ro)ects one coul! be involve! wit' are en!less
an! inclu!e t'ings li*e being a mat' tutor for struggling stu!ents% organi+ing a fun!raising
cam#aign t'at raises money for #eo#le wit' illnesses li*e cancer% su##orting families t'roug'
!aycare for c'il!ren an! care for t'e el!erly% cleaning u# t'e local #ar* or city% or even mentoring
*i!s w'o nee! someone to loo* u# to$ ,in!ing a #lace to volunteer is relatively sim#le- it entails
contacting a volunteer coor!inator for an organi+ation$ Usually once an interest 'as been state!%
involvement coul! be imme!iate% or it coul! re.uire formal a##lications% interviews% an! even
training to be #re#are! to 'el# ot'ers out$ /y #assion is all about fin!ing t'ese !ifferent
organi+ations an! !iscovering t'e various ways " can serve ot'ers t'roug' t'ese me!iums an!
facilitate my own growt' an! !evelo#ment$
So What?
0olunteerism im#lies an act by a community member w'ere t'e em#'asis is on t'e
service itself% an! t'e benefit is inten!e! towar! t'e receiver of t'e service$ 1ven so% t'ese efforts
ten! to e2ten! beyon! t'e benefit of a targete! grou#% in t'e form of self-fulfillment an! overall a
more #ositive society t'at focuses on feelings of mutual benefit an! t'e i!eals of altruism$ (o me%
community service is significant in t'at it brings #eo#le toget'er to wor* towar! a common goal$
"t 'el#s to establis' trust% bon!s of frien!s'i#% an! a sense of wor* et'ic an! !e!ication t'at can
vastly en'ance one&s #ers#ectives on !iverse grou#s of #eo#le an! t'eir various cultures$ 3eing a
#art of multi#le organi+ations% suc' as t'e Ronal! /c4onal! House% C'il!ren&s Hos#ital% an!
Ho2wort' 3loo! Center 'el#e! to raise my awareness of t'e interconnecte!ness of a community
an! 'ow " became a #art of t'at web t'at 'el#e! ma*e Cincinnati a better #lace$ " grew close to
t'is caring community% an! it #rofoun!ly c'ange! t'e way " see 'ealt'care an! t'e !ifference a
single #erson can ma*e in a large community an! connection of services$
Now What?
('ere is still so muc' " want to learn about community service an! 'ow " can use t'e
s*ills " ac.uire t'roug' it in all as#ects of my life$ One aca!emic t'eory relate! to t'is is t'e
ocial C'ange /o!el% w'ic' was !evelo#e! in 1554$ "t involves using community service an!
involvement as a tool to !evelo# lea!ers'i# s*ills w'ic' are% in essence% value base!$ "t also
entails t'at lea!ers'i# is not )ust an ac.uire! #osition% but rat'er a collaborative learning #rocess
t'at 'el#s one !evelo# socially res#onsible et'ics to ma*e a #ositive im#act on ot'ers$ 4uring
my time at t'e University of Cincinnati% t'ere are also various #ro)ects an! organi+ations " want
to become a #art of to furt'er !evelo# an! a##ly t'ese tec'ni.ues in my own life$ " am #lanning
on )oining "m#act UC- a #ro)ect t'at connects business stu!ents wit' local com#anies to !o
community service activities li*e going to t$ Jose#'&s Or#'anage$ " am also a #art of a social
fraternity on cam#us an! ne2t year% " will run for 6'ilant'ro#y c'air in active c'a#ter to 'el#
facilitate an! organi+e various community service an! involvement #ro)ects on an! off cam#us$