Luck Public Schools

Luck, Wisconsin

Teacher Barbara Petersen

 

 

Improving The Community One Lives In

By Jenica Deiss

12th Grade

 

 

Everyone should help improve the community that they live in. There are many ways in which to do that.  Many people think, well what can I do, or how can one person make a difference?  Believe it or not, one person can make a difference, and here are some ways I have, and others can too.

 

One of the ways in which we can help the community we live in is through a community service project.  There are many ways to go about doing this. One of the ways is teacher aiding. This is a program that we have at school, which is using a study hall period to help a teacher do activities for classroom preparation.  One can also help with a various number of odds and ends for the elderly members of the community or people who are incapable of doing various tasks themselves. Some examples would be doing things like raking leaves, mowing the lawn, shoveling snow, cleaning house, or even helping with paint jobs, just to name a few.  Other ways are helping at community events like the Fireman's Boiled Dinners, Corn Feeds,  the Ambulance's Smelt Fry, or even at local blood drives. There are many other events that one can help at, that helps the community that one lives in.

 

The churches in the communities also play a big part in helping to improve the town. They themselves help with food shelves, prayers, and home visits, and by hosting blood drives.   The youth groups play a major part by doing different activities, like leading a vacation bible school or annual leaf rakes. During the Bible school, we made lap quilts for the people in the Nursing Home. These bring them warmth and happiness whenever they see and/or use them.  We also do Car Washes.  Even the Sunday worship services play a major role in Community improvement by letting people know about the "better" way of life. Another activity that our youth group does is going shopping and buying gifts for families that are in the Battered Women's Shelter. These gifts also go to those who are less fortunate and do not have the money to buy gifts for their family.

 

The Red Cross is also one that is big on community improvement. They have blood drives in various places.  They also have a disaster program, that helps when a natural disaster strikes somewhere. When natural disasters like tornadoes or fires hit and take people's homes, the Red Cross will come and have housing and food and other supplies to help the family or families cope with the problem and get their lives up and running again. The Red Cross also has a youth chapter that has done many activities and events around the communities as a way of improvement.  We do things like helping with the blood drives that the Red Cross hosts.  We, also hosting our own blood drives at the schools that are around the area. We are again going to help with the Red Cross's Jump and Jive Blood Drive that is held at the Mall of America. We also are working on setting up a Pet First Aid program.  This is a way to include the various members of the community. 

 

We have also helped the Salvation Army, with the yearly charity collecting around Christmas time. We do help with Wal-mart's Safe Family Days. This is the time when they promote safe driving skills and safe precautions to take in your home.  We are also all certified for helping with the disaster services program  that the Red Cross has. The mothers in our community have a Home Makers club. This helps the women in the area get together and have fun without the stresses of work, home life, and everything else. They do many activities that help out the community.

 

The F.H.A. program (Future Home-Makers of America) has done many events and activities.  Some of the activities that we do include the annual Christmas Tea. This is an event that we have that gets the student body together to socialize in a decent manner.  We serve everything from punch, cookies, sandwiches, to different treats.  We also take a trip to the Chanhassen Dinner Theater, which gives the students a chance to explore the different musical and dance cultures. It also keeps them out of trouble and lets them have "tons" of fun.  Another big trip that we take is the annual end-of- the-year trip to Valley Fair. This again is a way to do different activities that someone may not be able to do on their own.

 

The band and choir also play a major role in helping the community. We have concerts every Veteran's Day, Christmas, spring, and Memorial Day. Having the marching band be in the town parades is said to be the most delightful part of the parades. As one  can see, there are many ways to help the community that one lives in. People  may not think that the activities others do or are involved in are important in the community. If someone was to take the time and think about it, the activities and events other people do show what kind of person one is, and help represent what kind of community that one lives in. The more that one helps, the better one will feel and the better the community will be.