When some people think of community service, they don't view it as positively as they should. Many think of it as some type of forced action in order to obtain hours for a certain gain, whether it's a college application or for the law. Unfortunately, I didn't realize that community service could be viewed this way until I participated in a class discussion around the beginning of my senior year in high school.

The teacher asked the class this one question: If you could tell the world one thing, what would it be? After a bit of thought, I decided to open up to the class about my passion and proceeded to state that I would encourage the world to participate in more volunteer work. I was surprised to see the class respond with an audible laugh. Why was this so funny? My teacher backed up my opinion by explaining the importance of altruism, but it became evident that most of my fellow peers didn't appreciate community service the way I did. From there on, I decided that people needed to know how I see things; and I see community service as a benefit not only to the community but to the volunteers as well.

Yes, it's pretty obvious that community service is beneficial for the community. Whether you're cleaning up your local park, building houses, or feeding the homeless, you're voluntarily giving up your time to help others in need. However, it's more than just that; by volunteering, your actions will come back to you in one way or another.

By participating in community service, your mind is opened to the problems that your community faces. You become more involved in bettering your community, and you start to understand more about your local area. You know how to make your community a better place to live, and you know the impact of your actions. The power is in your hands!

Volunteering also gives you a sense of empathy for the people around you. You start to become less judgmental and more giving. Instead of seeing a homeless person on a street and thinking why they can't just get a job, you think about the ways you can help. You see a piece of trash on the street and instead of just leaving it there, you pick it up and put it in the trash. Your mentality changes because you know the consequences of just being a bystander. By understanding the problems of the community, your lifestyle and way of thinking revolve more around action than just watching on the sidelines.

Lastly, community service gives you a sense of connection with the people and environment around you. It could be the people you're volunteering with or the people you're volunteering for. You start to care more about your community, and this becomes the reason why you volunteer more as time goes by. Volunteering within your community helps you bond with your local area and truly tells you what it really means to be a citizen in your community.

Volunteer work has helped me grow in more ways than I could imagine. I initially wanted to be more involved in community service because I simply wanted to help the people around me, but what I didn't know is that they would help me in return. Throughout my many years of community service, I've made so many friends along the way. I learned more about myself and grew to be more open-minded and caring. I can still vividly remember each service project I've worked on because I knew the impact it would make on the people around me. But most of all, I loved volunteering because I knew that my actions can mean so much to another person.

What people don't realize is that they can literally do anything they wanted if they set their mind to it. You are capable of changing the world; so why not start in your own community?