Major Service Project

Centerburg

BuckeyeThon High School Event: Centerburg High School

 

Describe your involvement with this organization:

Since I came to Ohio State I always knew I wanted to be involved in an organization that was bigger than myself. So, once I learned about BuckeyeThon at OSU I knew I wanted to get involved with this organization to help the kids at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. In BuckeyeThon, my responsibility is to be a high school mentor to one of the Columbus area high schools, Centerburg, and to assist the students and faculty involved there to put on their own dance marathon type event at their school. Each week I communicate with the school to help them plan for the large event they put on for the community. I must advise them on what is the most effective techniques to putting on a large event and how to raise money for their event and get donations from local businesses. By being very involved in the planning process within the high school, I can help create a very successful event.

Describe what you gained as a result of this experience:

As a result of this experience, I have gained vast knowledge on what it takes to plan a large event and how to mentor others. Throughout other organizations I have been involved with, I have planned and run events in the past, but before this project, I had never been the go to resource to running a large event. Reflecting on the event and the past year, I have learned about the vast importance of planning and having an alternate plan in case of problems that emerge. I have also learned the importance of helping others and teaching others for the betterment of the futures. Many of the high school students that I worked with over the past year had never been involved in an organization that has required so much coordination with others. By being a mentor with Centerburg students I have been able to teach and help them grow into a more adult like figure.

Describe positive changes to the community as a result of your service experience:

By putting on SWAGATHON at Centerburg High School in early January, we really made a strong impact on the entire high school community. We had many high school students outside of the organization and community members attend the event during the day. I think the community members were really able to see the impact we were making in the lives of the patients at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and really connected to the cause of pediatric cancer. By having kids that were treated at Nationwide at our event we were able to encourage those there to have real interactions and conversations with the kids and the families and learn about the experiences they went through. My hope is that because of our event, those in the community can look how lucky their lives are, and how there are many that do not have the same luxuries and health that many of us do, and it is our responsibility as community members to help those that are less fortunate.

Describe a person with whom you interacted that made a strong impression on you, positive or negative:

A person that I have interacted with during this project is one of the BuckeyeThon Kids Riley. Riley has overcome bone cancer and has become one of the most fun loving people I have met. For someone who has gone through so much in her life, she is so carefree and loves to attend the high schools events like SWAGATHON. By being able to hang out with her and interact with her, she has inspired me to never give up and keep pushing through all of the challenges. The biggest lasting impression Riley has had on me is the infectious happiness she has. Riley has created her own brand called Simley Riley because everyone should be happy in life no matter what. I have learned that no matter what happens, their is always a reason to smile.

Complete the following sentence: “Because of this service experience, I am__________”

Because of this service experience, I am a better….

  • Community member
  • Student and friend
  • Mentor
  • At inspiring others
  • Person

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *