Friday, January 22, 2010

Giving Something Back to the Community


By Lauren Collins

Some of my most memorable events take place outside the classroom and usually involve the comfort of my classmates.
On Martin Luther King Holiday, I joined four other Corporate Fellows (Najah Woodby, Nicholas Melvin, Alex Willis and Angelina Darrisaw) to volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters at a Read-In event organized to educated young children about Dr. King. We were each responsible for aiding two to three children in creating Valentine’s Day cards for the elderly, thank you cards for the troops, and leaving their personal mark in library books.
In doing so, we were able to share with these young scholars Dr. King’s messages of serving others and literacy through conversation, books and film.
I was fortunate enough to work with the sweetest two kids, Ellia and Alexander, who both loved to draw and were great conversationalists! It was a truly rewarding experience, and their father told me how important he felt it was for his daughter to see an African American young woman pursuing a graduate education.
The other fellows and I are privileged enough to be sponsored by local companies, so we want to continue to give back to this community in any way we can. Last fall, a few of the fellows volunteered at the Second Harvest Food Bank, organizing food for holiday distribution. There are dozens of volunteer opportunities here in Winston, and we are constantly searching for different opportunities to strengthen Wake’s connection with the greater Winston Salem community.


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