Volunteering

Undeniably, one of the best parts of my job is working with some of the teens here in Monroe County. We meet on a regular basis and plan drug-free activities called Teen Nights for other youth in the community as well as plan community service projects. In honor of National Trails Day this past Saturday we volunteered at the Griffy Lake Nature Preserve and it reminded me how much I enjoy doing that sort of thing.

Myself and four other high school students spent the morning clearing and doing maintenence on a drainage ditch next to the parking lot of the preserve. When we were finished we walked some of the trails and pruned trees and plants along the way to make it more presentable and easier to pass through. The students did a great job and really worked off each other's enthusiasm.

Not since my days as a Boy Scout had I been in a similar situation. That's what we did when we were in scouts; community service projects, Eagle Scout projects, church auctions. At the the time I only had a glimpse of the value in what we were doing for the community. Volunteering with these teens at Griffy brought back memories of those times and how good it felt to be doing something for someone else.