Reason for Doing Volunteer Services

I participated in a street cleanup organized by my campus club with my friend who enjoys volunteer opportunities. We got to clean at a food alley located at the back gate of our university. As the alley was lined with restaurants and coffee shops, disposable cups, food waste, and cigarette butts were everywhere.

Soon, the joy of joining volunteer service was forgotten. Garbage stank. I couldn’t help frowning. I couldn’t dare to clean it up, even with my cleaning tools and gloves. I looked around to get away from there, but I noticed my friend diligently picking up trash. Other volunteers who were behind me were also picking up the foul-smelling garbage without hesitation. My conscience pricked me.

I paused for a moment and thought of the meaning of volunteer service. It is to make effort to be of service to others, putting them first, even if the work may be dirty and troublesome. If I do what I like to do and can show off only, I can’t say I’m doing genuine volunteer service.

Reminding myself of the meaning of volunteer service, I rolled up my sleeves again. The heavier collected garbage got, the lighter my heart felt. Citizens and students must’ve liked our cleanup; they said, “Thank you for your effort.” We were worried about causing inconvenience to passersby, but they smiled at us, melting away our worries. After the cleanup, we looked back at the clean alley. Our hands and clothes got dirty, but we would feel rewarded enough if visitors to the alley were happy to see it clean; that’s the whole point of our volunteer service!