TEXT MESSAGES, TEENAGERS AND AN EPIPHANY

What started as a random text message ended in an epiphany.

Over the weekend, a small group of students from Park Hill South High School reached out to us about volunteering. They needed service hours for their National Honor Society applications and they needed them fast.

We obviously were happy to help and I even joined them at one of the outings on Tuesday — packaging food for Harvesters. Little did I know that I would have a moment of inspiration from these procrastinating, but well-meaning teenagers.

Upon arriving at the facility, I came to find out that most of them had already fulfilled their required hours for NHS. In fact, only a few needed more and the others came just to help. And that’s when it hit me, like a bat smacking a baseball — they actually cared.

I know that sounds cynical because most people care, yet we don’t always show it. We say we want to volunteer, but we won’t follow through. We say we are going to feed the homeless, spend time with the sick, give back to the less fortunate, but we never make the effort to do so. That’s true for all ages.

However, after seeing this teenage trio work, I realized that it’s not that the we don’t care — we simply need a vehicle in which to do so. We need guidance. Whether it’s motivation, encouragement or a place to start, we need direction.

Since that evening at Harvesters, the same group of students has already completed another volunteer project and are signed-up for one more next week. It’s not about NHS anymore for them, but about giving back to those who need it.

The message is clear — it’s not that people don’t care, they just need to be shown how to. Let The Call KC fill that void by contacting us right now and scheduling your next volunteer outing.