Story from Nationals: Make a Difference

Painted shells, bowls of paint and bottles of glitter were scattered across the table.  I watched as the art teacher at St. Mary's home set out the supplies for the day's craft.  Soon the room would be full of students, each painting and decorating little wooden crosses.

I sat in my chair along with a few other girls from the Nationals program as we waited for the kids.  The headmaster's words rang in my ears from his instructions to all the Distinguished Young Women girls who were volunteering as part of our Be Your Best Self outreach day: "These kids are here for a reason.  They were in the custody of the state.  We try to instill good life values into our students since they come from very bad home lives."

Looking up, I saw several boys come into the art room, ranging in age from middle to high school.  One boy around the age of thirteen sat down at my table and looked at me quizzically, clearly wondering who I was and why I was there at St. Mary's.  I introduced myself as the DYW representative from Florida .  As I explained my involvement with the program, he became very quiet and stared down at his hands.  After a few attempts to engage him in conversation, I let him work silently on his craft.  The other students were excited to see us and eager to ask a million questions about our states and talent performances.  The first boy remained quiet as he diligently painted on his little cross.  

But while most of the kids added handfuls of glitter and bright gold paint, this boy painted his a simple shade of charcoal gray.  I watched as he then began to paint out little letters with a tentative hand.

"What are you writing?" I asked him.

Without looking up, he murmured in reply: "Rest in peace, Darren."

In that moment, I was struck by a sense of sorrow I could scarcely comprehend.  This sweet young boy had lost most someone dear to him, had gone through more than I could imagine.  I had no idea who this Darren was, but I could tell by his expression that it must have been someone close to him.

The boy said nothing else to me for the rest of the art session.  But he will never know the impact those four little words had on me.  I suddenly realized how blessed I am to have a loving, encouraging family and a home to call my own. So often we take for granted the beautiful blessings in our lives.  The students we got to meet at St. Mary's made me realize that those who have the opportunity to make a difference have a responsibility.  We were able to bring light and hope to those in need by simply offering a few hours to volunteer in the community.

So make a difference in someone's life today.

Be distinguished.

-Ciera