[JSR] Summer Fun

Volunteering at an animal shelter is a great option for an enriching summer activity. Source: Associated Press, Carolyn Kaster

Finding groups that also help the environment by planting trees can also be a great summer activity. Source: Associated Press, Lee Celano

Summer is here and there are many ways to spend this summer other than the usual summer homework, academic tutoring, and swimming around in the ocean. There are many opportunities throughout the summer that can be enriching and beneficial.

During the summer, there are many ways to have fun but also help out the community. Being aware of the environment and earth is crucial, so joining a tree planting group or a beach cleanup crew is both fun and beneficial to the ecosystem. There are different programs all around the world that are open to volunteers and are in need of help due to lack of money, lack of workers, and more. There are many things to learn through volunteering and it is a great way of getting out of your comfort zone and socializing with people who share similar passions as you.

Esther Jung, Grade 10 Grover Cleveland High School

If you are not a nature fanatic, there are also many different shelters that you can help out at. For example, there are both animal shelters and homeless shelters where you can truly get to help out the community and get to know more people. Animals at shelters are especially needy because of the environment that they are in. They are not paid much attention to and are on a short time limit until they are euthanized, so by helping out at shelters and spreading the word, you are helping them one by one. Many animals are used to social interaction and need the love and care that was once given to them, so volunteers are a great way to lighten the mood for both ends.

At homeless shelters, you can meet the most wholesome people and gain a different mindset. There are many biases about the desolate, but there are many that are not on the streets due to the typically perceived notions. Homeless shelters are also a great place to meet people that will give you a new perspective about your own.

Both shelters create a workplace designed to serve one another, and that is greatly needed in this world at the moment. Finding volunteer opportunities shelters is highly enriching for the individual volunteering but also helpful to those that are being served.

Although there are many other places one can volunteer to help the community, these are just small options for the long list of volunteer options. The one important thing to remember is to never be worried to put yourself out there and meet new people! So this summer, if you are sitting around wondering how you can fill your time with something other than the academic and leisurely activities that are already planned, volunteering is a great way to fill that time and spread positivity and passion.