Quite frankly, I never envisioned myself working somewhere like SOAR, but I have grown to love what we call the “SOAR Family,” the community of staff, students, and their families. Without SOAR, I would have only thought of community service as Oxford English Dictionary’s widely accepted definition: “unpaid work intended to help people in a particular area,” but now I find that definition inadequate and exclusive. To me, community service is not limited to stereotypical volunteer hours at a food pantry, but is rather a way of life filled with actions—compensated or not, big or small—intended to benefit and unite those around me. 

At SOAR, we provide a free afterschool program to hardworking families in Northwest Arkansas, caring for their children and providing job security for their caregivers. SOAR emphasizes communication and leadership skills and recognizes the foundation academics lay. Every day, we tutor students in their schoolwork, and as a result, our students attending from schools ranking below the national average on the Math MAP achieve growth exceeding the national average. The importance of SOAR’s work struck me the first time I worked with Davis (name changed for safety): the fifth graders were beginning thirty minutes of independent reading, but I was having difficulty getting Davis to participate. When he lifted his face, I realized Davis was not having a “bad attitude,” and he tearfully explained he was embarrassed to read in class because he could only understand the kindergarten board books. That day, my work meant more than the money I earned—I was serving our community’s most vulnerable, equipping them to become society’s leaders. Though not community service in the strictest sense because our work is compensated, SOAR has come to epitomize my idea of community service.

Through SOAR, I have also learned that community service can take a variety of shapes that might not always fit the standard definition. Twice a week, our students participate in clubs where they receive special guidance in a hobby they enjoy; I lead our community service club where the students—rather than painting or playing sports—write thank you letters to our donors and plan small fundraisers or Christmas-gift drives for charities. On the smaller scale though, these students serve SOAR’s community when they pick a piece of trash off the playground or include shyer kids in conversations. Perhaps ironically, my students have taught me community service is not limited to Oxford’s qualifier of “work,” but also includes smaller—still deliberate—actions. Simply holding an elevator door open for someone or conversing with a stranger while waiting at a crosswalk builds the basis for community service itself. Intentional, personal connection created the SOAR family.

As I progress in life, I will continue to serve my community—compensated or not, large scale or small—throughout college and afterwards in working class society. Because sixty-five percent of Arkansas students like Davis read below grade level, I have been ignited with a passion for literacy.