nwasianweekly.com
Mar. 18, 2006

This spring break, think of others

If all you watched was MTV, you’d think spring break was all about bikinis, beer and beaches.

We would rather spotlight college students who are using their vacations to make a positive difference in the world, like the group of University of Washington students who will be traveling to D’Iberville, Miss., next week to help in the hurricane recovery efforts.

As reported in The Seattle Times’ March 14 issue, the 10 students and two alumni will be working eight hours a day in the Gulf Coast region, probably doing manual labor, like drywall installation. It will be tough and grueling, but they say there’s nothing else they’d rather do on their spring break.

“They are part of my nation,” student Megan Brewster said in the article, about the victims of Hurricane Katrina. “… I want to help them because I know they are a part of me, no matter how different we are and how many miles separate Seattle from D’Iberville.”

We urge young people to spend their spring vacations doing something meaningful to help the less fortunate.

It doesn’t have to take place clear across the country at the site of a national disaster. The volunteering can be done in a local soup kitchen, at a food bank or at a social-service agency. Students can organize rummage sales to raise funds for the American Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity or any number of organizations. Young people can even offer to help elderly neighbors with their chores, like mowing the lawn or washing dishes, for the week.

Such acts can make a huge difference. People who give their time and energy to others help ease burdens and raise the hopes of the less fortunate. Students themselves gain from their volunteerism; they enhance their leadership skills while also gaining a sense of humanity and humility. It’s important that young people learn early on that not everyone is lucky enough to eat three meals a day and sleep in a warm bed every night.

Volunteering to help the poor and hungry can teach young people lessons they may never learn in the classroom. Such lessons stay with them for the rest of their lives.

It’s only fair for us to reach out to others in times of need. Like the UW student pointed out, the Gulf Coast hurricane victims are our fellow Americans, and we should do whatever we can to help our own. Besides, when the big earthquake rocks the Pacific Northwest, won’t we want the people of the Gulf Coast and elsewhere to come to our aid?

This is an especially good time for the people of Washington state to lend a hand. Our economy is doing well again, so we have the resources and freedom to be generous and altruistic. We applaud Washington’s own Christine Gregoire for being the first governor in the entire country to call the Louisiana governor and offer assistance following Hurricane Katrina.

When others are going through hard times, ask yourself what you can do to help. You’ll probably gain more from that experience than by spending a day at the beach.

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Northwest Asian Weekly • P.O. Box 3468 • Seattle • WA  98114
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