Doing any kind of community service is certainly better than never reaching out to help. But if you’re looking to make a real difference, to help people who need it the most, and maybe have a compelling story to share with colleges so they can see just how committed you are to service, get closer to the source and work directly with the people you want to help.
Making gift baskets with your friends and then delivering them to a retirement home for the holidays is a nice gesture. But actually spending time with residents, talking and helping them face-to-face is much closer to the source. Helping a resident to learn to use email so they can communicate with their families lasts a lot longer than a gift basket does.
Students who volunteer in free legal aid clinics actually help women who need restraining orders from abusive husbands. They talk to immigrants who want to become citizens but don’t understand the process and residents whose landlords won’t fix the plumbing unless they’re forced to. I’ve never met a student whose internship at a big law firm got them nearly as close to the source of those needing help.
Students who work in programs that teach illiterate adults to read learn a lot about how people slip through educational cracks and how much difference a great teacher can really make in someone’s life. You’re not going to get that same feeling or make the same impact volunteering one Saturday to pick up trash at your high school.
Students who volunteer on mobile health care clinics don’t just file papers. They take the homeless peoples’ blood pressures, give medicine to sick children and see just how devastating something like pneumonia can be when the patient doesn’t have access to treatment.
Anything you do to pitch in and help is valuable. But if you’re looking to make a bigger impact and maybe even have a more memorable experience, don’t work on the periphery. Get closer to the source and do your work with the people you actually want to help.