COMMUNITY OUTREACH
SPREAD A SMILE
I set out on a mission to take a hands on approach to creating my senior thesis. Having chosen homelessness as a topic, I collected donations to bring to The Wish Project and Community Giving Tree. In doing research for thesis, I realized many people have plenty to donate, but either can't find the time to do it or don't know how. By serving as a middle man,I was able to increase the amount of items collected for those in need, that would have otherwise sat in the back of a closet or been disposed of.
BOSTON CARES BED PROJECT
Accompanied by fellow students, I ventured into a Boston YMCA to spend my day building beds. Tasks ranged from the construction to the painting of bed frames. These beds go to children across New England without beds to sleep on. The work was more than worth it, knowing the impact we made that day.
HABITAT FOR HUMMANITY
The first time I volunteered with Habitat for Humanity we worked on a two story house where I was assigned to installing windows. Standing on the scaffolding was frightening at first, as was handling power tools. However, once I got the hang of it, it was a blast. We cut the existing frames to fit the new windows, installed insulation, installed the windows themselves, and then sealed the windows for protection against the elements. Knowing we were a part of giving a family shelter, was a wonderful feeling.
SPECIAL OLYMPICS
I have volunteered with the Special Olympics on numerous occasions and each time is even more incredible than the last. From small scale events such as a road race, to swim competitions, all the way up to the global Olympic event in Los Angeles, California; it just keeps getting better. There is no greater feeling than seeing competitors faces light up at the sight of a crowd or the completion of a race. Having a cousin with Down Syndrome compete in the Special Olympics herself, has opened my eyes to see how incredible of an organization it truly is.
RELAY FOR LIFE
Every year I take part in Relay for Life at my college. It is amazing to see so many people come together to fight for a cause, and stay up all night doing it. Raising money before hand is the easy part, keeping your eyes open at 3 a.m., not so much. However, in those few extra hours we are awake, we barely even get a glimpse of what cancer patients go through. Relay is a way to show fighters and survivors that they are not alone and that we will rally together in the fight for a cure. The atmosphere at this event is powerful and one you'll experience no where else.
CELLS OUT FOR A CAUSE
During my senior year of high school I became a co-founder of Cells Out for a Cause; a group of students led by a dedicated parent created Cells Out to raise money for a boy in town battling leukemia. The way it worked was this: students give up their phones for 30 days, each student gets as many people to pledge to donate to them as possible, the phones go into a locked safe at the police department and are given back after the month. The goal was to get at least 100 participants and for each of them to get 10 pledges or more. The final tally was 101 students who gave up their phones, raising over $52K for both the family and cancer research. After being recognized by several news organizations, we reached out to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. By the end of that school year we were official partners of the Jimmy Fund being invited in for a tour of the facilities and a meeting with the Boston Mayor. Cells Out has settled down after three years in high gear, but has the potential for immense growth and development in the future.
