A theologian Frederick Buechner once said, “The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” God has given everyone unique gifts, and with using those gifts the world can become a better place. Whether it is playing basketball, gardening, or spending time with kids, your passion can be used for the interests of other people.

     At the end of each semester, all one hundred-plus National Honor Society members are expected to have completed 15 service hours. This is to represent service, one of the four pillars of NHS. There are many ways to earn service hours, whether serving in a soup kitchen or playing with children. However, are students just volunteering to quickly earn hours, or are they actually excited about what they are doing? Many students have found an organization where they are passionate to serve, not just for receiving hours.

     This next semester, find your passion through service. Volunteering can be a lot more meaningful if you are not just focused on receiving hours quickly. There are hundreds of organizations and activities in the St. Louis area where you can discover a gift you never knew you had.     

Kyrstin Pritchett, junior, volunteers at Petsmart on each “puppy adoption day.” She helps by walking and feeding dogs, as well as cleaning cages.

      “I love animals and when I heard of this opportunity, I thought it was a perfect way to help and be involved in what I’m passionate about. I started doing this before I had to do service hours with my sister because we were inspired to help animals any way we could, and getting service hours is just an added bonus!” said Pritchett..

     Mollie Ottsen, sophomore, volunteered at KEEN St. Louis, an organization where people get the opportunity to swim with disabled children. KEEN’s mission is to “empower youth with disabilities by providing free, non-competitive one-to-one programs of exercise, fitness and fun, led by volunteer coaches.”

      “I really enjoyed working with the kids because swimming is something that I have experience in. They were a lot of fun to play with, and I felt like I was just hanging out with them instead of volunteering. We played games in the water, talked together, and shared many laughs. It was such a great experience,” said Ottsen.

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