As this semester comes to a close, I feel it is necessary to take a few moments and reflect on what I have experienced in the Boys and Girls Club thus far. The apprehension that I brought with me as I entered the club disappeared the moment I interacted with the kids and staff members. I was greeted with the warmest of welcomes and quickly became a part of the team, no, a member of the family. I have never really experienced anything quite like it.
The kids are fantastic. Every time I would walk through the doors of the gym, I was met by group of kids wanting to play football or basketball. It didn’t stop there either. There were days where we would make paper airplanes or spend time time playing air hockey. Throughout all of these experiences, I learned that spending time with these kids is what they truly wanted and was most important. By putting a smile on their faces, I was making a difference, one that I have yet to fully realize.
The staff members of the club have been beyond receptive in regards to my assignment as well as helping me around the club. You see, being a part of the Boys and Girls Club is more than just a profession; it is a calling. It takes an incredibly passionate and dedicated individual to want to better the lives of children. In all honesty, I am in awe of all the work that they do, and I wonder if I will ever be able to do anything as significant with my life. I have never seen such selflessness on display, and it has made me strive to be a better person in every facet of my life.
The fence that we will built will go a long way to ensure the success of their garden. However, I believe that the valuable life lessons that will be imparted to the children as they nurture their own garden will be the true testament of the success of our project. Those children are our future. I have been afforded a countless number of opportunities throughout my life. Those opportunities were the direct result of the work of those who had come before me. By taking advantage of the chances that they left behind, I was charged with a new responsibility. Now, as I progress through my life, I must pave a path for those who will come after me. I must do everything within my power to provide those children, all children, with the opportunities that will allow them to fulfill all of their dreams. In doing so, the cycle will repeat itself. It never ends. I must continue to pay it forward throughout the course of my life.
-- Rahul Annabathula
The kids are fantastic. Every time I would walk through the doors of the gym, I was met by group of kids wanting to play football or basketball. It didn’t stop there either. There were days where we would make paper airplanes or spend time time playing air hockey. Throughout all of these experiences, I learned that spending time with these kids is what they truly wanted and was most important. By putting a smile on their faces, I was making a difference, one that I have yet to fully realize.
The staff members of the club have been beyond receptive in regards to my assignment as well as helping me around the club. You see, being a part of the Boys and Girls Club is more than just a profession; it is a calling. It takes an incredibly passionate and dedicated individual to want to better the lives of children. In all honesty, I am in awe of all the work that they do, and I wonder if I will ever be able to do anything as significant with my life. I have never seen such selflessness on display, and it has made me strive to be a better person in every facet of my life.
The fence that we will built will go a long way to ensure the success of their garden. However, I believe that the valuable life lessons that will be imparted to the children as they nurture their own garden will be the true testament of the success of our project. Those children are our future. I have been afforded a countless number of opportunities throughout my life. Those opportunities were the direct result of the work of those who had come before me. By taking advantage of the chances that they left behind, I was charged with a new responsibility. Now, as I progress through my life, I must pave a path for those who will come after me. I must do everything within my power to provide those children, all children, with the opportunities that will allow them to fulfill all of their dreams. In doing so, the cycle will repeat itself. It never ends. I must continue to pay it forward throughout the course of my life.
-- Rahul Annabathula