Ways to Help Your Community

A common feeling most teenagers experience during their high school years is the desire to leave home. They claim to hate their town and they can’t wait to move away. This is especially true in Martinsville, a small Indiana town, where things to do seem hard to come by.

But what if we as teenagers took this as an opportunity to not only better ourselves, but the community around us? Instead of complaining about the place we live and the lack of amenities, we could create our own through community service.

Next time you’re feeling bad about your town and waiting around for someone else to solve the problems in our community, take matters into your own hands. Whether it’s cleaning up trash, building homes, or just volunteering at local schools, every action you take has an impact on the world around you.

Before improving your community, first you must understand it. Take time to read up and research what is actually going on around you. Learn about local government, businesses, and community members to better visualize who exactly you are helping.

The key to community service is to not overwhelm yourself. Before diving into complex projects, start small. Buy from local groceries, clean up litter in your neighborhood, or help a neighbor with a DIY project.

When broadening your volunteer horizons, try joining a club or group that specializes in community service. There you will find people who will help you move forward in the right direction with the right projects. From there you will be able to find your own individual project or suggest new projects to the group for you to tackle together.

Opportunities to help are everywhere you look. Every school, library, hospital, and nursing home you pass everyday is always in need of help. It never hurts to call up these places and ask if they are accepting volunteers.

One place always accepting volunteers are soup kitchens. In Morgan County, there are several soup kitchens available for you to help serve. Churches, Manna Mission, American Red Cross, and Churches of Mission are just a few to name. It’s incredibly easy to call a location near you and ask about available volunteer hours.

Morgan County is also plentiful in elementary schools. As high school students, it is our responsibility to look out for the future of our town. An easy way to do this is to offer your time to help tutor young kids. Giving your name and number to family, friends, and schools is an easy way to get these kids connected to you to begin some sessions.

Lastly, looking towards big name volunteer organizations is always an option. Just googling “Habitat for Humanity” and “Relay for Life” will show you dozens of projects going on in our area.

Everyone’s mission should be to leave the world a better place than you found it We should all leave Martinsville better than how we found it, and these ideas are just a few of the ways to do just that. Bettering your community will give you a sense of accomplishment, and, in turn, will help you to better yourself. Next time you’re feeling down about the place you live, first ask yourself, “What can I do about it?”