Community Service

I volunteered for an organization called Orphans of the Storm, which is an animal shelter located in Riverwoods. I attended an off site adoption event showcasing the cats and dogs at Northbrook Court on Saturday from 11AM-4: 45PM and Sunday from 12AM-5PM. Overall, I was extremely excited to volunteer because I adore animals and I knew it would bring joy to my life helping these innocent animals find a home. I realize that they also need affection and care, as well as humans do, so I decided to help donate and become a part of the event. You would expect many people to be open about adopting an animal, but as time went on, I realized that there are many different reasons why people can't adopt such as allergies, other pets at home, or they're simply not old enough. Obviously there are many other reasons, but acknowledging those circumstances, I started promoting donations towards little things such as extra newspapers, blankets, animal food, etc. The shelter is always in need of extra materials to provide the animals, and if someone is interested but cannot adopt a pet, or just has those supplies at home, why not help the cause? 

The people I came in counter with had many different attitudes, ages, races, and genders, but one thing they all had in common had been wealth. I appreciated the people who had given me the time of day and listened to the information I had provided. I felt reassured and grateful when donations were given to the specific dog that I was speaking about, or giving care to. Taking the time out of their day to give attention to the animals and donate their money to a good cause had brightened my day and I couldn't help but smile. While I was volunteering, I thought of how great it is to give back to my community and how thoughtful some people are to open organizations like these and support such causes. People who try to make a change in the world are the most genuine kind of people in my eyes. The supervisor was an extremely sweet lady named Jackie Borchew, who encouraged not only the volunteers, but also the others viewing the animals. She contributed to the wonderful experience I had, and could be contacted at Jackie@orphansofthestorm.org. The tasks i was instructed to do didn't take very long, they were practically effortless especially because I felt like I was doing something for a good cause, a great reason, rather than feeling forced to finish a dreadful task that would go unnoticed. On my way home, I had been in an uplifting mood, which followed through with me the rest of the night.