Last weekend on April 6th, I spent an hour of my afternoon volunteering at the Board of Activities for Smith-Steeb’s Sibs and Kids Weekend Carnival Extravaganza, a Service event that I was able to work from 4 to 5pm outside of Smith-Steeb Hall. At the event, I helped with the arrangement and distribution of the different snacks provided at the venue, and I also helped to encourage attendees to sign up for the free raffling of the ten dollar gift cards that were given away during the event.
I was surprised by how much this event touched me in the way that it did, especially with the semester coming to close so soon. It was a blast getting to watch the kids run around and have fun with their older siblings as they jumped on the inflatables and threw a football back and forth. Not one kid left without a smile on their face whether it be due to the snow cone they were devouring or the joke their older brother or sister had made to them, and that stood out to me. What stood out even more to me, however, was the inattention paid to the raffling by the kids and siblings as we gave out the gift cards. I mean, FREE MONEY, people; those are two words every person loves to hear. Am I right?! Either way, most everyone at the event were pretty inattentive during this piece of the programming, and it was a struggle to get them to quiet down and focus enough on the giveaway. This was largely in part due to their desire to keep playing with one another and with their family because of their time away and the gift that was this reunion. And that stuck with me, too.
While the event itself and my role volunteering did not relate to the topic of International Affairs, I personally gained a lot from this experience. I very much needed to see these interactions and smiling faces which served to me as a reminder of the blessings that are my siblings and my family. Whilst being away at college, I have in no way forgotten about my siblings or my family, but I have not kept up with them as much as I should have. After everything they have done for me and are to me, this experience has woken me up to my actions, or lack thereof. While there are so many distractions to keep me from calling or a sending a simple text, there is still no excuse not to take the time for these simple actions. When I think about the things that are most important in my life, family always falls at the top of the list, and volunteering on that Saturday has opened my eyes to my hypocrisy, there. And while I cannot wait to be home and will be very soon, that has not stopped me and will not stop me from sending an “I love you” to my parents or a meme to my little brothers every day for the rest of the semester.
Overall, I very much enjoyed the Sibs and Kids Weekend Carnival Extravaganza and the atmosphere it created. The students and their siblings alike were awesome, and the experience as a whole reminded me to reflect more on my immediate family, beyond the Buckeye family that surrounds me every day. I am very glad that I decided to volunteer at the Sibs and Kids Weekend Carnival Extravaganza, and I look forward to bringing my siblings to participate next year, as well.