On October 21st, 2018 I volunteered at the Nationwide Children’s Columbus Marathon with my fellow Dunn Scholars. The raced began at 7am and ended at 1pm. We started the day by stacking layers of cups, both of water and Gatorade for the runners as they passed our stop at their 17th mile. Once the race began, we lined either side of the street with cups held out for the runners to grab as they continued their run. The morning was absolutely freezing and wet from the night before, but that did not stop the runners.  To see not only the turn out of people who came to support the runners, but also the number of runners there were running the whole marathon. Cheering each person on by name and watching them smile and push through just made the experience all the better.

This experience showed me the overwhelming number of people who will come to support the cause. Nationwide Children’s cares for hundreds of thousands of children and these runners were there to support and care for the children as well as the hospital in charge of those children. For me, this experience showed me a true life experience of a community working together for a common purpose. Because of service learning, I am grateful to be a part of the Columbus community.

This fall I chose to volunteer at an event called “Feed the Funnel” at a gym on campus-Jesse Owen’s North, sponsored by an organization called The Pack Shack. This event took place on October 4th and lasted from 10pm until 1am the next morning. In this event we were preparing bagged meals, rich in vitamins and nutrients, for those in need. The meals we prepared that evening were Cheesy Rice and Vegetable meals, which contained 19 vitamins and minerals and were packed full of protein. My specific task was to weigh the bags after they had been filled to determine that each of the bag weighed relatively the same so each family would get a fully balanced meal. If the bag was overweight, rice was removed to be used in another bag, if the bag was underweight, I added rice to fill the gap. That night we packed 100,000 meals in 3 hours, and it was an amazing experience.

From this experience, I learned that I should never take anything I have for granted. I am fortunate enough to have three meals a day and a roof to sleep under at night, and not everyone has that. To be a part of an organization like The Pack Shack, even just for an evening, showed me I can make a difference in someone’s life and give them a luxury they may not usually have. Because of service learning I am better able to see the need in others and help them, rather than taking my own luxuries for granted.

Ohio State students participate in a service project for Kind Columbus in the Jesse Owens       South Recreational Facility, where they packed 100,000 meals by the end of the night.

This semester I had the opportunity to volunteer with the OSU Special Olympics at the Buddy Walk. The Buddy Walk took place on September 30th and lasted from 11am to about 3pm. The Columbus Buddy Walk is sponsored by the Down Syndrome Association of Central Ohio; this year there were more than 12,000 attendees and over $525,000 was raised. At the Walk, I specifically was in charge of the inflatable games, which included baseball and basketball. I had the most fantastic time interacting with the kids, their family, and friends, watching them have the greatest time playing all the times and achieving the greatest happiness when everyone around them, including myself, acted as their cheerleader.

This service experience further enhanced my love and desire to care for children. I have always known that I have a passion for children, but watching them smile when you simply cheer for them makes my day. In the role of a leader, this experience showed me that simply putting my passion into something I care so deeply about, like the children, reflects positivity onto others which will in turn create a positive community. Because of service learning I am going to become a great nurse in my future professional career.