Civic Duty
John D. Rockefeller describes civic duty as “the social force that binds you to the courses of action demanded by that force.” In other words, it is a citizen’s duty, their obligation, their responsibility.
Volunteering at your local food bank, Salvation Army or even donating canned food are great ways of giving back to your community. Many people tend to get lazy when it comes to volunteering because most feel as if it doesn’t benefit them in return. In reality this is not true. In doing so, you show your appreciation for the community that you live in and it also helps the community grow as a whole. Volunteering is useful for building and maintaining a civil society (Wilson, Musick). It can even be good for your health as well. In fact, studies from “The Health Benefits of Volunteering: A Review of Recent Research” has shown that volunteers have greater longevity, higher functional ability, and even lower rates of depression (West). Being a part of a Democracy means doing things for the benefit of the people in a free manner. Therefore, citizens should freely express their opinions and be a part of a building nation over time.
Fulfilling your responsibility for civic duty comes in many various forms. Some of the most common duties include jury duty, paying your taxes and volunteering for the community as mentioned earlier. These duties reinforce the definition of being an American. Without the many that volunteer today, the lives of many of the struggling families around the nation could be much worse especially during these bad economic times. The homeless people living on the streets are a clear reason why volunteers are important in our modern society. Nonprofit organizations such as the Salvation Army, Andre’s House, St. Mary’s Food Bank and many others are the biggest reason why the needy are still here today because of their generous contributions.
Jury duty is considered a civic duty because it helps the judge determine cases in court rapidly. Paying taxes when you have to is another form of civic duty. The taxes you pay are sent to the government in which the money to help them fund for programs that ultimately benefit the citizen in the long run. Not only this, it brings the government a bit closer to solving the deficit problem that has grown a lot since Bush’s presidency.
Conclusively, the civic responsibility of Americans today is to ultimately give back to the community. Although volunteering isn’t in the best of interests to some people, it is the best way to show your appreciation for the people in your community.
Works Cited
West, Norris P. "Press Release: Volunteering Produces Health Benefits." AmeriCorps. 7 May 2007. Web. 02 Dec. 2010. <http://www.americorps.gov/about/newsroom/releases_detail.asp?tbl_pr_id=687>.
Wilson, John, and Marc Musick. "THE EFFECTS OF VOLUNTEERING ON THE VOLUNTEER." Http://www.law.duke.edu/journals/cite.php?62+Law+&+Contemp.+Probs.+141+(Autumn+1999)#H1N2. Duke Law. Web. 2 Nov. 2010.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What I Did
For my project, I volunteered at the St. Mary’s Food Bank in Surprise, AZ. St. Mary’s is a nonprofit organization that accepts donations and distributed them to families in need. For 7.5 hours on Thursday the 11th of November, I served as a cart runner for the families receiving food. I was to push the carts to their car and place the food in their car as part of my job. In addition to this I entered data into their system for the families applying for food boxes. Later on in the day, I was asked to help pluck grapes and bag them for snacks for kindergarten kids to munch on after school. Due to my age of 17, I was limited to the tasks available to me. This was due to the fact that there were prison inmates working as janitors for labor hours around the Food Bank. On the 26th of November, I volunteered for 2.5 hours and worked only as a cart runner since they did not need me for any other job. That day was not as busy as my first day on the job. Unfortunately (or luckily), it was a day after Thanksgiving, where the Food Bank had over 600 customers for the entire 7 hours it was open. Happily, on my first day, I was given a break, eating doughnuts and coffee in the break room.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Analysis of Civic Duty
For my community service hours, I volunteered as a cart runner, data enterer and food preparer at the St. Mary’s Food Bank in Surprise. Volunteering means taking the time, effort, motivation and work to help organizations, serve the community and giving back to those in need. I doing service hours for my community, I have fulfilled my responsibility and duty as a resident of Arizona America
The people that you see bagging food for the needy aren’t ones that get paid to do the job; they are volunteers that were willing to sacrifice their time to care for their community. That is why the stressed importance of volunteers takes place because without them, the organizations like St. Mary’s, Andre’s House, Soup Kitchens and other Food Banks wouldn’t be able to function or run like they do today. On top of this, since America
For taking time in thinking about my hours during the time I volunteered, I learned to take pride in the work I have done for my community and the many people I was able to serve. Putting the necessary foods and pushing the cart for the people just puts a smile on your face in knowing that you are doing something good for people and you are truly making a difference in society.
I think that because people think bagging food or participating in jury duty doesn’t seem like the ideal way to spend their time is the reason why people tend to shrug off offers to help out in the Food Banks. Ultimately, people need to realize that they are only helping themselves when volunteering for your own community. Like they say in “an eye for an eye,” it is similar to volunteering in that when you do a deed for the community, eventually they will give back and vice versa. If people put the time and effort to helping their community, the world might just be a better place for everyone.
Pictures
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| Upon Arival... |
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| Gotta pluck them grapes, they were freezing! |
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| That thingy on my head was a fish net. Don't want a piece of hair in any part of the food right? Gross |
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| Just being a gent is all. |
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| I don't look like i'm a very good mood :( |
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| My god that's a ton of forms to enter in |
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| walking backwards back inside, takes skill... |
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| 2nd and last customer of the day whoo! |
