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Volunteerism connects youth to community, ACC student says

News Photo by Julie Riddle Alpena Community College third-year student Ashley Nowicki, right, talks with fellow student John Beatty in a hallway on campus last month.

ALPENA — Volunteering gives young people a way to connect to their community, Alpena Community College student Ashley Nowicki said.

The third-year secondary education student has learned the rewards of giving time and energy to others through involvement with the college’s Student Leadership Commission.

The student-powered group sponsors a rotation of activities on campus that provide care for the student body, from skating and bowling outings to jeans-decorating during Sexual Assault Awareness Month to snack giveaways on holidays and during exams.

Even if volunteering deeply impacts only one out of 50 helped people, that one person makes the effort worth it, she said.

Recently, someone on the receiving end of a campus activity posted on social media that the students’ small action had made a bigger impact than they realized during a rotten week.

“It makes me wonder how many other people that we gave a bag of candy to also had a week like that, that a bag of Cheez-Its made it so much better,” Nowicki said.

Students get off campus for volunteer work, too, reaching into the community to connect with people who need a smile or word of support that a young person can provide.

Animal shelter volunteer days are a favorite, Nowicki said, but she made an even more precious memory when students took kittens to a local long-term care facility to visit with residents.

Being available to others and reaching into their lives through volunteerism creates relationships that connect people. Those connections keep a community together and make it strong, Nowicki said.

Those interactions are harder, now, because of COVID-19 restrictions. But, even with safety measures preventing some formal volunteer opportunities, you can always rake a neighbor’s yard, clean a neighborhood, or pick up junk on a beach, she said.

The longer she’s on campus, the more involved she gets doing things for others. That involvement has made all the difference in her own happiness.

Doing things for others can bring you closer to other people who didn’t know they needed what you have to offer, the volunteer said.

“But, now, they have it,” Nowicki said. “And it improves their lives.”

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