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Service Starting Young

By Olivia French

High school freshman William French stood at the end of a long table in the middle of the MANNA FoodBank warehouse in Asheville, NC, methodically adding boxed mac and cheese and canned goods to large plastic bags of food and sending them further down the line.

            French was participating in a mission trip during his school’s February Break, where he completed the journey from Northern New Jersey down to Western North Carolina with the West Side Presbyterian Church youth group for a week of service with 10 other high school students.

            “I’ve never done anything like this before, and it was cool to actually see that we were making a difference in peoples’ lives,” French said. “I definitely want to do more things like this in the future.”

            The group did different service projects each day during their weeklong trip. They cooked for and ate with the homeless at Homeward Bound shelter, painted and repaired rooms at LCE-Marne, and shared scripture and fellowship with the homeless at the Church of the Advocate.

            In college, it is becoming common for students to take service-learning courses, in which they perform community service in addition to their studies. However, it is rare to find younger students that are so willing to let go of a bit of their time to help others.

            WSPC has been sending groups on February mission trips for more than 10 years, trying to inspire a sense of giving back and community in the students. They also have programs for middle school students doing local charitable acts.

            Rev. Penny Hogan of WSPC said that it is important to introduce students to community service as early as possible.

            “I love watching high schoolers on their first mission trips. Seeing their eyes light up when they make that first realization that they’re changing someone else’s life is amazing. Then they come home thirsty for more, and it becomes a never-ending cycle.”

            French has been an active participant in the local community service events, but has never dedicated an entire week to helping others. He took time off from being a starting wrestler on the Ridgewood High School wrestling team to participate in the mission trip.

            “At first, my coach didn’t want me to miss an entire week of practice,” said French, “but when he saw how much I wanted to go and help, he let me off the hook.”

            Though he doesn’t know where he’d like to go to college, French said that he’d like to go somewhere that offers service-learning courses, so that he can be sure to continue his community service efforts while learning. Until then, he hopes to spend his high school years helping out in any way he can.

            “This was definitely the trip of a lifetime, and I can’t wait to see what other service opportunities are waiting for me in the future,” said French.

           

French (Back row, second from left) and some group members on the trip.