Homework, tests, practices, rehearsals, work, you name the activity, there so many things to do and so little time. Adding another demand to the list is likely the last thing South students are thinking of, but it’s well worth finding the time to do community service. Not because it’s required or someone makes you do it, but because giving your time to others or to an important issue comes with many benefits.

For some South students volunteering may already be a regular thing. For others, it may happen here and there. For many it may seem like just too much, one more thing to squeeze into a busy, stressful schedule.

One good thing about a living in a in a community such as the Grosse Pointes, is that it’s tight-knit, strong and always supportive of friends and neighbors. Here it is easy to find opportunities to serve, to help, to put your time behind something important. South also possesses many clubs, including Interact a service club for students.

As friends and neighbors, we support each other’s fundraisers, committees, events and families. Whether it be a baseball game for a family friend, walking for a cure, hosting a student from a foreign country or delivering meals to a grieving family Grosse Pointe is a place where we care and support each other.

Taking the time to do community service is an invaluable experience not just for the person, group or issue you choose to get involved with but for you, the person giving the their time.

Depending on what you decide to do, it may feel like a real job without pay, but there are so many benefits of community service. Students have the opportunity to find strengths or passions, discover leadership skills, learn about public issues or finding possibilities of what you might want to do as an adult.

Maybe most importantly, community service, even though it may seem like another demand on our busy days, lets us take a break from our rigid schedules.

It can actually be a stress reliever. Research, according to PrepScholar, shows volunteering actually improves quality of life.

It also can give you pride, boost confidence and self-esteem – all good things for dealing with all the demands we don’t have control over.

The best thing about a community such as Grosse Pointe is that its generosity doesn’t stop at the city limits. A Grosse Pointe mom recently began a charity mobilizing donors  to help needy families in Detroit. The desire that residents of Grosse Pointe have, not only to help their neighbors but also those living outside our borders is a beautiful thing to say about a community. Coming together as a  community is a special, meaningful thing to be a part of. We all grow as people, as friends, and our kindness doesn’t go unnoticed.

There are many ways to show support and make community connections. Getting out of the house to catch a lacrosse game gives residents something new to do and supports the school. Supporting high school sports benefits the players, coaches, district and therefore the community as a whole. Delivering a meal to a friend in need reminds us to be humble and grateful. Donating to fundraisers for medical care or research reminds us to appreciate our health.

Participating in the community helps us teach our children to be giving and loving to all no matter what. We are all extremely lucky to live Grosse Pointe and doing our part to help someone in need is the least we can do to give back and even to take care of ourselves.