By Sydney Mastropasqua, Contributing Writer
This piece is part of a series of columns by SU Religious and Spiritual Life.
I think we all can agree that lately the world may be disappointing us, scaring us, sheltering us and maybe even upsetting us. We are not used to being “quarantined” or “socially distanced” for long periods of time like we have been lately. If you are like me, I am currently struggling with finding ways to help my community, whether that is here at Susquehanna or at home.
I am a person that is always on the go, volunteering and helping a greater cause. I have found that volunteering during the times of COVID-19 has brought about challenges that I would never have thought of before. I have had to change my plans a lot and that includes cutting back on the amount of active volunteering that I normally do.
However, I didn’t write this article to complain about the lack of volunteering that is available to me right now. I chose to instead write this article to help inspire all of you with some thoughts I have thought about during this quarantining period.
Some thoughts I have pondered are as follows. The word volunteering comes from the Latin word voluntarius, meaning willing or of one’s own choice. This Latin verb originated from the Latin noun voluntas, meaning will or desire. To have a desire illustrates a doing that one is passionate about and consciously wants to participate in. It is simply a “want” action. It didn’t say it had to be something extravagant such as feeding the homeless or visiting a children’s hospital every day, it just has to be something that is wanted.
As I was thinking about this, it made me realize that volunteering doesn’t have to surround around the way society thinks it should. It can be something as little as saying hello to the cleaning staff when you walk out of your dorm, calling up a grandparent and making sure they are doing okay, helping out at your church, calling a neighbor from back home and making them laugh, it can be anything that brings joy, comfort and support to others. If this is what volunteering really means, then I and others participate in this kind of work every single day. The smallest actions make some of the biggest impacts.
Peter Chapter 4 verse 10 states, “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” God leads us all to be stewards of the earth. To give to others and help others whenever and wherever we can. Although COVID-19 definitely makes it difficult to facilitate, it can’t stop us from doing the Lord’s work. We all do the Lord’s work every single day, when we say “I love you” to a family member, friend or romantic partner, we are sharing the very love of Jesus Christ who is and will always be love.
So, I am challenging all of you to take the word COVID-19, which stands for “Counting On Volunteers In Doing 19 good things” and applying these 19 good deeds to your daily life during quarantine. I know we can all make a difference which is something COVID-19 cannot take away!
- Support your local church
- Call your grandparents
- Call your parents
- Make a card for someone in need
- Tell your friends how much you appreciate them
- Offer to tutor a student who needs help
- Donate old clothes (ex. Community Aid)
- Strike up a conversation with the cleaning staff/dining staff
- Think of something you do well and use your talent to benefit others
- Pick up trash on the sidewalk (ex. Clean Sweep)
11.Say hi to someone new
- Answer the phone in a cheerful voice
- Hold the door open for a stranger
- Donate canned goods
- Recycle whenever possible!
- Give compliments to others
- Donate (ex. Amazon Smile)
- Cook a meal/dessert for someone who needs it
19.Come to worship at Susquehanna!