5.Become active in your community

Get involved in coaching

For the past three years, I have been a swim coach for a summer program. I grew up being in active swimmer on the team and then I became a swim lesson instructor. Once I felt comfortable enough, I took on the challenge of becoming a coach. This means I have to stay up to date on first aid and pool safety training as well as meet qualifications set by the pool. I have to make sure my team competes fairly in all meets and evens. I also have to make sure to handle required details.
I have had years of training in various swim strokes, drills and body physiology. I have been able to adapt teaching methods to every swimmer. I try to lead swim team members by motivating and inspiring them to do their best. I do plan practices and drills but my main goal of the summer program is to make sure that the students have fun. We spend a lot of time in the pool, so I try to make sure that at the end of our sessions, we play a game. That is one of the times that we bond together as a team. Another bonding time that is very important to me is the time we spend together at the meets. Although it is a time to prove if our practices have paid off, it is also a time to spend getting to know each other better and cheering on each other.

Being a swim coach is a job that I plan on continuing even after I become a teacher. It is a very rewarding experience!
Participate in Celebrate Service Day

Celebrate Service Day is a tradition for Goshen College Students. It is one day out of the year that we take a break from classes and go out into the community to volunteer at local organizations. There are various service sites from working construction with Habitat for Humanity, setting up for the Michiana Relief Sale, and canoeing while picking up trash.

I have participated in many Celebrate Service days with the college, but my favorite one was going to The Depot - MCC Thrift Store. The Depot is locally owned and operated as a not-for-profit organization by the MCC Resource Center. Their mission is to support the Mennonite Central Committee, the relief, service and development agency of the Mennonite and Brethren in Christ Churches. Their spiritual motivation comes from the bible verse I John 2:17, "if anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?"

I went with a small group of students to first do warehouse work. We then had to unload boxes from a school bus. This included a lot of heavy lifting which I was not able to do. These boxes had to be taken into the workroom so that they could be sorted. There were clothes and a variety of items in these boxes. We got to see firsthand how the Depot supports families and shelters. Being able to volunteer there made me so much more grateful for what I have and the opportunities that I have been given. I have a greater commitment to service because of Celebrate Service day. I was able to see God at work at The Depot.

Volunteering at the Michiana Mennonite Relief Sale

I have grown up attending the Illinois Mennonite Relief Sale in my hometown of Bloomington. I have volunteered there for many years in the food serving line. My father would always volunteer to run a line by himself so the family would be called upon to help. Each year, eighty percent of the net proceeds from the sale are channeled through Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), which is a national relief and service agency located in Akron, Pennsylvania. There are over 1,000 volunteers working and financially supporting over 65 countries around the world.

When I came to Goshen College, I did not realize that it would mean I would miss the opportunity to volunteer. With the demands of school and the distance that I am from home, I missed several years of the sale. Freshman year, I wondered what it would be like to not be in attendance at the event that I had been to every year since I was born. I realized very quickly that there was a Michiana Mennonite Relief Sale at the Elkhart County Fair Grounds. Starting my freshman year, I got involved with the Florence Church of the Brethren Mennonite is located in Constantine, MI. I had a friend who attends that church and volunteers at the sale. I was able to volunteer at the tamale booth which is a traditional booth of the church. I usually work the Friday night sale which allows me to get up early for the pancake breakfast the next morning. Being able to volunteer your time to a great organization helps me to feel like an active member in my community.