Paoli High School

Paoli, Oklahoma
Teacher: Melinda Alfred

Improving the Community

by Galen Benson Wigley

12th grade

 

 

 

In my attempt to write this paper, I racked my brain for ideas on how a single person could better their community.  But is it really possible for one young person, or for one older person for that matter, to better their community?  My answer to this question was NO.    Therefore, I believe that the solution is teamwork.  There is a lot of confidence in teamwork. Several people working together would have a better chance of getting things accomplished compared to one person trying to get something done. One reason is that there would be less procrastination and more determination because you don't want to disappoint your teammates. Another is that assembly line work is quicker.  We sometimes don't have a clue as to how we can help others in teamwork.  There are many ways to do so, however.  We just don't think of some of them as really helping.

           

One way to help others in teamwork is, of course, the obvious way of manual help. Our community has several services we can help out in.  How do we think the city parks get mowed and landscaped?  People of the community volunteer to do it.  In some bigger cities people may even be paid for it. 

           

The Samaritans is a good example of teamwork in the community.  It is a program that helps the needy people on holidays.  They deliver food to the houses of families that, otherwise wouldn't have had a good holiday meal. Boys from all around that certain county load boxes into trucks together. My point about assembly line work comes out here.  It is faster and easier because they have teamwork.  I wonder how hard it would be if only one person had to load all the boxes of food by himself?  He would probably

never get finished.

           

Another way to help out is less manual and more on the "sacrificing of your time" side.  Take time to look for ways to help others.  For example, visiting a nursing home and asking if there is anything you can do to help out is one way of helping out. The workers have so many things that need to be done that they don't have enough time to just sit and talk to the patients.  The patients are so lonely and they don't have anyone to talk to.  Here is where teamwork, once again, comes in.  If you don't want to go alone, take a friend with you.  Two of my friends and I used to go to nursing homes every Sunday night and sing to the patients and talk to them. We would ask the nurses if there were any particular patients that didn't have anyone that came to visit them and we would spend time with that one patient for a long time, just chatting. You don't have to say anything

special.  All you have to do is sacrifice some of your time. 

           

Another way to help non-manually is to give good ideas.  If you are a creative person, you could help out in many ways, giving ideas concerning the way things should look in the community.  Take for example the landscaping in the city parks.  You could share ideas in this area and not even have to break a sweat.

           

A third way is to merely support others who are working to help better their community.  Support is a big factor.  This means helping out emotionally, although you can be supportive physically, too. But the support I am speaking of here is the kind that you do when you tell someone you think they're doing a good job.  A pat on the back can go a long way. Most people don't think of that as being supportive, but when it happens to

you, it makes you want to work even harder.

           

You can also be financially supportive toward causes, movements, and charities.  This is also very important because not all people are able to be financially supportive.  There are only a few. 

           

Anything is possible when you have supportive people believing in you.  A few people setting a goal and believing in each other can accomplish much. We all can help in some way, whether it be physically, financially, or emotionally.  It is very important to work together so that, when it's done, we can all look back on it and be proud of ourselves.  Remember, if you do unto others and help them out when they need it, the favor will come right back to you when you need it.  I believe that my personal responsibility in my community is to help others and not to expect my community to do everything for me.  I am reminded of Kennedy's famous quote, "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country." 

                                                                                                           

Questions

                                                                                                           

1.  Time and effort.  If you want something to last, you have to give more effort. 

 

2. 

(a)   24 years (1) Negotiation is the key to a happy marriage.

 

(b).  20 years (1) Growing in the Lord together.  Studying the bible and praying together.

 

(c).  32 years (1)  Compromise

 

(d).  16 years (1) Forgiveness

 

(e).   51 years (1) Try to agree and accepting the things you can't change in your spouse.

 

(f).   50 years (1) Be forgiving.

 

(g).  42 years (1)  Always agree with your wife and humor her wheneverpossible.

 

(h).  30 years (2)  Never go to bed mad.

 

(i).  26 years (1)  Trust.  Always give your spouse the benefit of the doubt.

 

(j).  4 years (1)  Pray together.

 

3.  Finding happiness somehow other than by wealth.  It's not objects, but a state of mind.

 

4.  Doing more volunteer work for the elderly.

 

5.  If we, as a multi cultural nation, cannot get along, we will not be able to live as one nation much longer.

 

6.  Lawyers don't care what happens to the people as long as they get paid.

 

7.  Punitive damages, because people aren't going to obey the law if there are no consequences that follow if they break them.  (Like little kids)

 

8.  Larger need to retirement homes, thus, a larger need for construction. Value of land goes up to build homes on.

 

9.  There can't really be an antipoverty program if he's making his own country worse off.  He gives our money to other countries who won't pay us back.  The program isn't doing very well and there are still Americans living in the gutters because of the lack of job opportunities. We should take care of our country first.

 

10.  Aside from both their names beginning with the letter "t", Truett Cathy and Tom Lewis have this in common as well - They help kids and they have a special place in their hearts for the children and they both started their own business after they were retired.