McPherson High School
McPherson, Kansas
Teacher: Robin Long
Brighter Future
By: Rachelle Sowards
12th Grade
Community is the people and things that surround a person. Sometimes these people come together for a common interest and sometimes they compete to find more common ground. Either way, a community must work towards moving forward and accomplishing goals.
For a community to move forward, one goal that needs to be set is to help the struggling part. This “part” is the people that are ill, below the poverty level, emotionally unstable, and who experience other downfalls. Many organizations are set up to assist these people in trying, and in many cases, becoming better or helping to find a way to cure the dilemma. The people who are passionate about seeing their community move forward to a brighter future and about helping those who need it are the ones that fuel these organizations.
School groups, such as Family Career Community Leaders of America, are a big help in making a community better. School groups get kids active in their community and make them passionate about helping out. They teach them how to go about helping in the community and how to take charge when a situation calls for assistance. These groups also teach kids to work together to accomplish common goals, and how to solve an issue quickly and effectively. School groups are intended to transform kids into passionate, helpful members of the community.
One project that we, as FCCLA members, have come into contact with is the Angel Tree. This is an extraordinary program that helps out the less fortunate. It gives presents to kids at Christmas time. It is not so much about them actually getting presents, it is the fact that somebody in the community cares enough to help out, which is a great feeling, especially for a kid. It really means a lot to kids to see another present, or the only present in some cases, for them under the tree. And for parents, it is even better to see their children’s eyes light up, run to the tree, and rip open their present.
An organization that FCCLA is involved with is The American Cancer Society. This is a wonderful organization that helps with the fight against cancer. Most people, directly or indirectly, have been affected in some way by cancer. Some have family members, friends, teachers, or even themselves who have had cancer. The American Cancer Society helps to find a cure for this. Many groups, including FCCLA, are raising money to help the cause. The money that people raise for the American Cancer Society goes to cancer research, and to some people research is just another word for hope.
Another organization that I, myself, am involved in is Big Brothers Big Sisters. This is an organization that helps out kids that come from unfortunate homes, unstable families, or other situations that would make a kid think they could not do everything they are capable of accomplishing. Big Brothers Big Sisters is set up to mentor these kids by helping them to reach for their goals and to show them that these situations are road bumps and do not define them, that in fact, sometimes they can even make them stronger. It is a great feeling to watch these kids and listen to them talk. Most of them are extremely smart kids and can be anything they want to be. They have amazing ideas about the future. They set high goals for themselves that challenge their abilities to get past their misfortunes and reach for better lives. It is a spectacular feeling just to know these kids and listen to them talk about their better futures they hope for themselves.
Head Start is another great program that helps the kids that are below the poverty level go to preschool. I was an attendee of Head Start. I do not remember much about the program, but I do know that it was the start of an exceptional academic career.
Community takes a lot of work to succeed. Everybody must work together to help out and make the community better. A person does not have to donate a million dollars to cancer research. It can be something as simple as talking to a kid about school and showing that someone cares about the future. The little things are what make the most impact on a person’s life. Just showing that somebody cares can transform an unfortunate person into a person reaching for goals and becoming better. Community is the people and things that surround a person. Do not just let it pass by. Make a difference in the community and help to move it towards a brighter future!