Light and Salt Association’s SMILE project is a program where people with special needs learn skills. It was and still is my proudest achievement because I made a difference to the campers. To this day, I still SMILE every single time I think of this unforgettable memory and journey. I felt like a once-in-a-lifetime reward.
Abigail Zheng: Volunteer
My experience with volunteering with AYLUS has taught me multiple lessons. First, it allowed me to recognize my privileges- being born into a stable household with working parents, having adequate food, and receiving a good education. I have learned to be grateful with the resources I have access to, and how to use those resources to help others who have less than me. I think community service taught me how to be empathetic and compassionate to others and how to share; not just sharing tangible materials such as clothes or books, but also sharing ideas and kindness. I have also learned how fun it is to volunteer- whether it’s planting trees, teaching younger kids, or sorting school supplies, I feel accomplished after each event. My experiences have taught me that you can make a difference in society and the world while concurrently having fun. At first, volunteering on the outside sounded like a chore to me, as if I was forced to do it just for the sake of doing it. However, I found myself deeply involved and connected with those volunteer events. Later on, it went from my mom asking me to join certain events to the opposite: me asking my mom to sign me up for any opportunity I can take. Overall, community service has instilled unforgettable lessons and values within me that no textbook or lecture could.
Aila Jiang
Volunteering opened my eyes to a world full of opportunities and helped me become more involved in my community, explore opportunities, and learn more about myself. Through volunteering, I learned that helping others brings me so much joy I couldn’t even dream of.
Alexander Sun
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7
The experience of volunteering with AYLUS has given me many new perspectives. My favorite volunteering experience so far was working with the special needs students at the Light and Salt Association. It allowed me to understand the struggle of special needs people and helped me gain a sense of accomplishment for assisting the students. This program provided us with opportunities to learn how to communicate and assist students with disabilities. We did various activities such as making random crafts, reading texts from short stories, and learning new skills from other people. Volunteers also interacted with the campers in which allowed us to get to know each other better. Helping out brought us closer and allowed all volunteers to get a basic understanding of how the special needs adapt to their circumstances. Furthermore, it taught us to be more kind and helpful as a person. It also felt rewarding for us to help out others. Assisting others gives you a feeling of fulfillment and compels you to help out even more. In my opinion, everyone should experience helping out with disabled people at least once. It brings the people around us closer and also teaches both volunteers and people with disabilities new things. The contribution from everyone that helps can make a big difference in helping out the community and those in need of help.
Alvin Zheng
