MZ: " just maybe your kindness can impact someone’s life believe it or not"

   I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. – Maya Angelou. This famous quote by Maya Angelou was exactly how I felt when I did my last service project. I feel like the veterans will never forget it. For my last service project I decided to do something that I’ve never done before. Which now that I think about it, amazes me. I went to Publix and bought five gift cards and donate it to the veterans. 

As mention before, I’ve never done this before and the feeling that I got from doing this was an extraordinary feeling. I felt really good about myself for doing such a satisfying thing for them. I wish I could have seen their faces when they were getting the gift cards but, sadly I couldn’t. 

Another reason why I choose to donate the five gift cards instead of the other options was because I felt that with the gift cards the veterans can buy anything they wanted whether it was groceries or just personal needs. They can also use it whenever they want without them worrying about it expiring or anything like that. That’s why I went with the option of getting the gift cards for them because they can get more out of it in my opinion. 

When doing this service project I really didn’t think it would have any sort of impact on my educational path but I was wrong. The impact this service project had on my educational path was really good. It made me realized how important it is to help other less unfortunate people especially in the world that we live in today. People are mean to each other and have lots of hate for one another. Anyone can make a difference in someone’s life whether is by donating gift cards, give food or just giving them an unforgettable experience. People will never forget how you made them feel and that’s where the quote comes in place. 

This service project also tied in with my educational career too because it involved doing something good for a group of people that have gone through a lot and have experience a lot in their life. This is why I think that this project service really made an impact on my educational path because not only did it open my eyes to help the less unfortunate people but the experience that I got from it will help me along my educational path. 

We all heard the saying do good feel good. Well for my service project I felt that by me doing something good for the veterans it might have impacted them to do something good for other people or just between the veterans themselves. From the donations they got I feel like that felt extremely happy and excited when they got their donations. This shows them that there are still people out there in the world that are kind and full of good intentions. Hopefully someone of them can learn from the experience and can pass it on to one another and possibly impact someone else’s life. Like the way some of my classmates and I did. 

Overall, this was a really wonderful experience for me because this was my first time donating to a group of people. The service project only impacted me as a person but as a human being. I learned that we should all try to do something as simple as say thank you and be kind to one another because just maybe your kindness can impact someone’s life believe it or not.     

JW: So, with my small act of kindness, I hope that I made someone out their feel special.

“Try not to become a person of success. Rather become a person of value.” ― Albert Einstein

            For my service project, I decided to do a courtesy bag to the veterans at Veterans Village. I did this because it was easier for me to do since I have such a busy work schedule outside of school. I think it was a good idea to do this, because it’s like giving someone in need something small that they might need. I bought a bath towel, shaving cream, a large pair of slippers, and a bag full of razors. The essential hygiene needs are always good to give to any one in need just to help them feel better about themselves and that’s one less thing the individual doesn’t have to worry about. 

From Dr. Soldani’s social media posts, we got the message out about the bags and students brought almost 100 bags I think. I thought this was incredible once I heard the news. This meant almost everyone at the Village got a bag or possibly even two bags. In my opinion, lots of small acts of kindness made sure a whole apartment complex of people were given standard hygiene products and slippers to wear every night. Now that’s special. I don’t know the veteran that my bag went to but I know whoever it is no matter who they are or what they’ve done, at one point in time, they gave their life and dedication to serve our country to make it great. 

So, with my small act of kindness, I hope that I made someone out their feel special. I think the veterans at the community are taken care of mostly because of Dr. Soldani’s great influence that she has spread all over TCC for students to take time out of their lives and give back to those who served are military. I remember when I first went to attend one of the Dinners at Veterans Village. It made me feel so proud of myself for giving back to my community and making someone else feel cared for and loved. I have learned so much in the two semesters that I have taken from you Dr. Soldani thank you so much for showing me how to give back to my community and have a more positive outlook on life and my community.

RV volunteered at the Kearny Center: "These people were optimistic and caring and they truly deserve more."

            We need more kindness, more compassion, more joy, more laughter. I definitely want to contribute to that. - Ellen DeGeneres

 I really like this quote because it relates to my service project that I did. I know originally I said I was going to try to start a community garden but I found that to be very challenging. So I starting looking at more options to do my services at. I found a homeless shelter very close to TCC it's called the Kearny Center and its purpose is to provide the basic living needs to each and every individual that walks through its doors.

I started volunteering there April 24th going 3 times a week and working in the mens wing for 2 hours and 15 minutes each visit. I worked with a man by the name Mr. Peter and he was very nice and made me enjoy what I was doing. My duties were to help individuals with whatever they needed like giving them a towel and soap for the shower or a blanket for their beds. Giving these people even the smallest things would make them smile. I would see the same people a lot and everyday they would get more comfortable with me. People that lived there would tell me “You're an amazing person” and “Bless your heart”. It made me feel really good. I've always loved to help homeless, back home I would always volunteer at a local homeless shelter it gave me joy helping the people that really need it. Seeing people's smiles from even the smallest things would make me feel really good as a person. Mr. Peter the man I worked with at the shelter would always say how he wishes more people could be kind and courageous. The quote that I listed above made me think about how he said that. It really made me think because more people that are fortunate and have the needs to survive should help others. But few people actually begin to think about the ones that are less fortunate. Throughout my time there I can say it impacted me greatly each day I would help out hundreds of people in need and it made me feel complete. Knowing I impacted someone's life gave me a feeling of greatness along with feeling like I was apart of something. I also really enjoyed being at the facility because the people that lived there had nothing but still you see smiles. I am fortunate enough to have had a very stable life and childhood and I can say I have reasons to smile everyday. These people truly had nothing but the clothes on there back but continue to still smile and search for new opportunities everyday. These people were optimistic and caring and they truly deserve more.

I hope to continue to volunteer at the facility as I continue to pursue my education in Tallahassee. Helping others and providing goods to people that truly need them is something I love to do and one day I hope to help others everyday by becoming a teacher. Doing this made me passionate and inspired to do more in the community. I hope to continue to provide my service to the Kearney center. I personally would like to thank each and every person that works there. Those people matter and others don't see what really goes on in shelters like this one. I felt very welcomed at this facility and I hope it continues to provide people in need with supplies and tools to one day get back on there feet.