A Difference That Matters
Teens Give Back To Their Community Through Volunteering At Various Establishments, Activities Around Wichita Falls
Sophomore Class President, Trisha Nicolas, didn’t expect so many teens ready to help at Faith Mission on a Saturday during October, but there they were, for the Teens Make a Difference program.
“We take a lot of things for granted,” Nicolas said. “Some people are worried about whether they will have a place to eat and sleep and I am worried about when I’m going to get the new iPhone.”
In Wichita Falls, Teens Make a Difference Day is run mostly by teacher volunteers under the jurisdiction of the Wichita Falls Non-Profit Organization located at Parker Square.
“[Teens Make a Difference is] a day that encourages all Wichita Falls area teams to catch the spirit of volunteerism,” student council sponsor Sally Mroczkowski said.
Teens Make a Difference Day is meant to create student volunteers who will go on as adults to volunteer. Mroczkowski says their objective is to create people who recognize the need to give back both now as a student and later as an adult.
“It instills in [students] a sense of accomplishment and prepares them to be life-long volunteers,” Mroczkowski said.
There were over 200 volunteers just from Rider. This was seen by Mroczkowski as an opportunity to build class unity.
15 groups of students went out on Oct. 25 to assist locations and events ranging from cleaning highways to working at homeless shelters to helping with Zombie Crawl.
Mroczkowski said the day had a good turn out and it was a success.
“Our generation is the future of our community,” Student Council President Sara Sorge said.
The senior class volunteered at the Humane Society.
The students performed tasks like cleaning cathouses and walking dogs. The group did really well and was organized according to Sorge.
“It’s good to volunteer to do things other people wouldn’t want to do because you have the ability and resources to do so,” Senior Class President Georgia Dubose said.
The junior class volunteered at Straight Street.
Straight Street is an organization meant to provide a safe Christian environment for young teens that may have a troubled or no home to get involved and talk to someone, according to their website.
“I think the event went really well and got everyone more invested in the community,” Dubose said.
“It’s good to give back to your community,” Nicolas said.
The sophomore class volunteered at Faith Mission homeless shelter.
“I had a lot of fun and it was really humbling,” Nicolas said. “It taught me to be thankful for what I have and be more appreciative,” Nicolas said.
