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Sorry. heart

This is a speech on service my friend Kat has to give for her whole "Vote for Me" thing for NHS. We think the first and last paragraphs are pretty good (mostly because it mentions Sam, and she's aswame in and of herself), but the middle feels kinda dry. As you guys are (mostly xd ) the age group that's voting, we thought we'd ask you for your input.





Service

In Jupiter, students are required to put in 40 hours of good, old-fashioned community service before graduation night. Being surrounded by a community where service was always pushed put an automatic reflex in my body. The summer before ninth grade, when service hours are first required, I had already acquired the necessary amount to graduate. However, I had not done anything different that summer than was normal for me. My father is a children's pastor, so every year he helps out with a summer camp for children. Of course, that means I grew up there, doing whatever needed to be done, acting as a "go-fer" or a recreation leader. Also at this camp, I have met many new friends that I would otherwise not have had the opportunity to meet. One girl is very special to me. Her name is Sam, and she was born paralyzed from the waist down, leaving her in a wheelchair all of her life. She’s a great kid, with lots of energy, and a lot of fun to spend time with. If I hadn’t sacrificed my time I’d never have met her.

Working with kids has always come natural to me. The Recreation Group in Jupiter has kids gather down at the Odd Fellows hall every summer, and since volunteers are needed, that's where I end up spending many of my summer days. By watching movies and playing games or doing crafts with the kids, parents and babysitters get a day off. I grew up participating in this program myself so it was only natural to continue being involved with it.

One year during the summer I went to the Czech Republic to do a sort of service project. A group of us ran a camp for kids, giving them activities to do and skills and happy memories. Even though we went elsewhere to do this, there is so much you can do at home. Field Days, camps, mowing lawns, or painting houses are just some of the things you can do in the summer time. During the rest of the year there's always reading to kids at the local library, tutoring, helping a teacher, being a good neighbor to someone - even if they're not your physical neighbor - plus many nonprofit organizations. The animal shelter in Neptune can always use a spare hand, or anything you could donate.

Even if the things you do don't help you graduate or get a special scholarship, they're still helping someone else. When you give of a talent, time, or resources you have been given, that is service. Going to the nursing home on a Sunday afternoon instead of staying home playing video games not only gives you something to do, but makes the people at the home happy. They just LOVE to have a new face to see, and can't wait to talk to someone. Believe it or not, when you hear their stories and see the smiles on their faces, you'll realize you're having a good time. Besides, when you know you've done good for others, you feel good about yourself too.

As said by John Wooden, “Do not measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should have accomplished with your ability.” Doing service of any kind can be easy and rewarding, you just have to search to find it.

My name is Katrina Flintstonian and I am running for NHS Northern Representative.

I tried to get her to put: "Basically, she’s just awesome, okay? You cannot hope to compare."

But she said she couldn't. xd