I had a friend who was very passionate about something in his life, and I respected him so much for the fact that he was passionate in what he was doing in his life. One day that passion also struck me in my life, and I am writing this so that I may share my experience with others. I wanted to be able to contribute something to people in need the way I have seen other people contribute. I would al
ways think of countries in poverty that are far away and out of my reach. I had thought about doing volunteer work in Thailand and Mongolia when I visited Korea last year, but I was unable to because of lack of time and money. A few days later I started serving food to the homeless with that same friend, and I started to feel something stir inside me that I had never felt before. I had felt uncomfortable around the homeless before and even sometimes a little afraid at times. Never had I bothered to understand them and how they became homeless. But that changed after I started to volunteer with my friend. Being born and raised by good parents who were well educated gave me a better chance to achieve whatever I wanted in my life. I was never truly thankful for what I had or where I lived. As I saw the homeless eating sandwiches that I had made for them I began to see that something as simple as a sandwich to me could mean so much more and be so precious for someone who is truly in need. I am very thankful to my friend who made me realize what is really valuable in life, and I have learned the true meaning of the words sharing and caring. As I was doing this volunteer work I created a non-profit organization called “The Oaks Community”. There are two big actions that have become the foundation of this group. Firstly we are doing volunteer work every Thursday morning in front of the Pasadena Public Library where we serve forty BLT sandwiches and coffee. When we first started there were a lot left over, but now everything runs out faster and faster because more people are showing up. We expect more will continue to come every week so we are planning to prepare more and more food. My friend and I have been covering the food costs ourselves, but if I happen to go back to Korea I feel that my friend will need more support financially, and this brings us to the second reason for establishing The Oaks Community. I thought of a way that other students like me can help that requires only a small action on their part. There are many international students in this country who are studying hard to become what they want to be, and I wanted to give the opportunity to those who are willing and able to help people in need but do not know where to start. One of the things we are doing is gathering coins for the homeless. Often times we have loose change just lying around the house and this is a small but simple way for students to contribute. I believe this organization will give them the chance to volunteer so that they can find the happiness if sharing and caring like I did. I did not write this in order to just persuade others to donate. I am writing this because I have a belief that people have the abilities and the talents needed to help others and show what the meaning of life is to people in need in a world that can be cold and unforgiving. I know that this belief can slowly change the world into a better place. Thank you.
