Community Service in America

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The question of why Americans do community service was raised last class. I believe there are multiple reasons behind why individuals do community service.  I think the motivation behind community service depends on the individual. Some individuals, organizations or companies may volunteer to make themselves feel better, for political reason or to look good. Others may volunteer because they are passionate about helping others or want to give back to the community.

Whatever the motivation, Americans are volunteering. The organization Volunteering in America reported that  Americans performed 8.1 billion hours of volunteer service in 2011.

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In American I feel like community service is a big part of our culture. There is a positive connotation attached to the words “community service” or “volunteering.”  People who volunteer are generally thought of as good people. I feel like our culture has incorporated community service into many aspects of American life such as schools, businesses, and extra curricular activities.  There are multiple organizations and programs in America for community service.

I grew up doing community service because I was a Girl Scout. I remember going to nursing homes to spend time with the elderly, helping at the humane society, donating clothing and food to the homeless, and performing other various community services.  When I was younger I thought of community service as something that I needed to do to help others. I did see it as an obligation but I was also happy to do it. I have a lot of fun memories with my troop doing community service.

Now that I am older I like doing community service because it feels good to know I am helping someone else and making a positive difference. For me, community service is just the right thing to do.

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