A Rewarding Volunteering Experince With a Non Profit Organiztion

A rewarding experience that was the result of volunteering for a non-profit organization is something that will stick with me for the rest of my life. It started when I was about 16 or 17, while I was still in high school. Part of the requirements for graduating in the National Honors Society was to perform 120 hours of community service. My mom suggested that I perform magic shows at a specific place for free to help out with the community service requirement. I had been studying magic for a number of years, but never really performed. Aside from one birthday party, these were my first performances.

The place my mom suggested I volunteer at was called The Children's Village, http://www.childrensvillage.org/index.htm, in Dobbs Ferry, NY. She knew of this place, because she had worked there during the start of her career as a psychologist. The Children's Village is a charity organization that "help[s] children and families who are struggling become productive, independent citizens who will enrich their communities and their future families."

I chose to perform my magic shows during the holidays such as Thanksgiving and Christmas. The reason my mom suggested I perform during these times was because not all the children in The Children's Village are foster kids. A lot actually have families and go home during the holidays. So, I performed for children who did not have families to go home to during the holidays. I was able to bring a little bit of happiness to these children just because I volunteered a small amount of my time.

During all of my shows, my goal was to get every kid involved in a trick somehow, so they could feel special. I wanted every child to walk away with a positive feeling. At the end of my show, I would teach them all an easy card trick that they could perform within a few minutes. Sometimes, I even stayed behind and talked to them for a bit about anything. I would perform additional card tricks, talk, or even just play games.

Here is where the memorable experience comes. I am done with my show and have now finished teaching all of the children a trick. This little boy, who could not have been more than the age of 6, motions for me to come to him. I was much taller than him and had to bend over. He motioned for me to get close like he was about to whisper something. He said, "I see you perform tricks and can make things appear and disappear." I nodded affirmatively. He was my assistant during a trick where balls appeared and disappeared in his hands. He adds, "Can you make me appear at home with my family?"

I was so taken back by this question. How am I supposed to respond? What should I say? To this day, I have no idea how I handled this situation. I do know that I went with the flow, and I ended up entertaining him specifically with some additional magic tricks. I went out of my way to make sure he was having a good time with me and that he was happy.

This was one of the first shows I ever did while volunteering at The Children's Village. However, it is the one I will never forget. I never quite knew how important and meaningful it was for me to give my time to these children. I, at the age of 16 or 17, was taught a lesson by a young boy who was at most 6 years old.

I often tell this story to some people, and I have still not been able to figure out what I said to this boy. All I know is that through my magic show, I was able to cheer up these children during times that were not so positive, and in fact, gloom for many. This was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life, and I firmly believe it is a direct result of volunteering at a nonprofit organization.