“Why would any one want to volunteer?” A friend teased me as I told him about signing up for a Be the Cause Compassion Cell. He just couldn’t understand, as he put it, “why people would work for free”. I thought about my friend, when I woke up on Saturday, April 9th, early enough to get to my destination. I was sure that my friend was probably sleeping, considering it was around 7am, but I was determined to help revitalize a neighborhood in Santa Ana. Okay, I was a little jealous of him sleeping in, but then I arrived at my destination. I was warmly greeted by the volunteers who were ready to dedicate their time and hard labor. I thought to myself, “wow these individuals have jobs and families, but are out here for a whole day on a Saturday to serve the community”.
A little later after a bit of figuring out who is going to do what, we began our tasks. We were working with Rebuilding Together, during their 2nd Annual Day of Good Deeds. There were a couple of different projects going on, some were there to revitalize the homes of the elderly or handicapped. The project which I participated in involved cleaning and painting the local community Chapel.
As I was doing my duties for the day, I was inspired by how compassionate and kind everyone was. Everyone was working very diligently, yet enjoying themselves as well. It was an act of true giving and everyone seemed more than glad to do so. I began to feel quite emotional. If there are people in this world who are willing to give with out receiving any type of reward, then truly the world could be a better place. But then again there are rewards. After my grueling day of labor, I felt very good internally. I felt a since of warmth. I did something really good and met amazing people. Somehow I gave a bit of love to the world. I am definitely ready for the next Compassion Cell.
Kristeen
