My Life with Youth Volunteer Corps

Throughout my life I have always been a very service oriented person. I knew that I liked to help others and I wanted to do more. However when my mom signed me up for a summer session of Youth Volunteer Corps (YVC) six years ago, I had no idea what to expect or how much my life would change because of it. In addition to the countless hours of service I’ve done, I’ve also had the opportunity to learn more about myself as a leader and a volunteer. I’ve learned about the importance of reflecting on my work and my actions, as well as becoming much more socially aware of both myself and other members of my community.

One service project that always stuck with me was something that I did very early on in my time within YVC. I was still fairly young and still learning about what it means to volunteer. For this particular project we were working with an organization called SOS Community Services located in Ypsilanti Michigan. SOS provides resources such as food, shelter, and other things to help families get back on their feet and regain stability. While we were there, we learned a lot about their mission and services, and it inspired me a lot to take more action in my community. Over the course of the day we packaged food and worked in the food pantry helping families get what they need. It was not the biggest or most intricate service project I’ve done, but it was the first project that made me realize volunteering was something I was passionate about and that I wanted to spend my time in Youth Volunteer Corps.

Throughout my years in YVC, I have been able to see myself learn and grow into the leader I am today. It has taught me responsibility, determination, flexibility, and many other things. One thing that I always found valuable and unique about the YVC in my community was the importance placed on reflection. This has helped me realize exactly how my work is important and why I’m doing it. I will always be thankful to have had the opportunity to work with YVC, as many of the skills I’ve learned and experiences I’ve had will stay with me for the rest of my life.

Hi, I’m Sarah Campbell from Ann Arbor, MI. Aside from the obviously love of service and volunteering, I am very passionate about the arts, such as theater and music, as well as traveling and photography. In Ann Arbor, I’ve been a part of my school’s theater company for 3 years now. I’ve played the guitar, ukulele, and bass for about 6 years. As for the traveling and photography, I’ve always loved seeing and learning things in new places and I think it’s super fun to capture moments on camera whether it’s the new places I’ve gone to or just fun photoshoots with friends.