Being a student volunteer is worthwhile

A three-day weekend to most students at Hewlett High School is extremely exciting. It’s a chance to catch up on sleep and homework, with extra time to relax. However, for the members of the Youth Board of the Community Chest, it’s more time to volunteer!

The Five Towns Community Chest Fair was on Oct. 12-14 in Andrew J. Parise Cedarhurst Park. The fair included rides, games, music and food for kids and families to enjoy themselves. Postponed from September due to inclement weather, it was a relief to everyone that each day was beautiful. The sun was shining and it reflected the happiness of the people at the fair.

It’s easy to overlook the hard work behind the fair, as the volunteers and adults in charge enjoy what they do so much. It’s seeing the smiles on children’s faces at the fair that makes it all worthwhile.

A large part of the volunteers at the fair were from the Five Towns Community Chest’s Youth Board, which I am a part of. The board consists of students from high schools throughout the Five Towns that volunteer for community service. The group is constantly growing, and is lead by Jackie Kaminer and Bob Block.

“As a board member at Community Chest, I love working with the youth because it allows me to hopefully encourage them to be philanthropic in their own lives,” Kaminer said.

The Youth Board is reaching out to more schools, and gaining more volunteers. Members of the Youth Board volunteer their free time for the pure satisfaction of helping others.

“Once you volunteer for one event and see how happy it makes everyone else and how it impacts the lives of people in our community it makes you realize how awesome it is and you just wan to keep doing it,” Gabi Schwartz, a Hewlett High senior, and president of Youth Board said. “It just makes me feel good about myself and our community.”

I volunteered at the fair on Sunday and from 2 to 5 p.m., I painted children’s faces. I’m not an experienced artist, but from copying how to paint butterflies to Spiderman from a book, I managed to make the kids happy. Being at school with a strictly academic schedule, limits my time to use my imagination. But seeing kids’ creativity as I painted them to become whoever or whatever they wanted really opened my eyes. It’s weird to think that about 10 years I ago I wanted to be a fairy, princess, and a puppy, too. Hearing a little boy try to explain what type of ninja he wanted to look like and seeing a beautiful girl ask to look like an angel, definitely made me feel wonderful inside. For a few hours, I remembered what it was like to view the world from a 5-year-old’s eyes, when the greatest problem is not having enough fun.

I am so thankful for the opportunity I’m given by working with the Youth Board of the Five Towns Community Chest. The fair this weekend was a success, at least according to the responses I received from the butterflies, Supermans, ninjas, lions, and vampires.