Shining a Light on Service;
Volunteering For the Community
The Myrtle Beach Sun-News (South Carolina)
By: Janelle Frost
First published: July 18, 2008
A free lunch of chicken bog, chips, salsa and drinks drew a group of homeless people to Project Lighthouse Thursday. But they were given and fed much more.
The lunch was served by a group of teenagers who have spent a week on the Grand Strand with more than 300 other students from 16 churches across the country spreading the word of God and doing service work through local nonprofit agencies. Step Up, an organization that attracts and trains volunteers to match their skills to the nonprofits that need them, helped link the students with the agencies.
The students have been spending a week in High School Leadership Training, a regional conference held in Myrtle Beach sponsored by Great Commission Churches.
The students, ages 14 to 18, are in the area until Saturday and have helped the American Red Cross prepare its warehouse, cleaned Myrtle Beach State Park, talked to people about God along the beach and worked at Project Lighthouse on Ocean Boulevard, a program that provides support for runaway, homeless street youths.
"The whole program is about helping people," said 15-year-old Anna Holtman, who helped serve food Thursday at Project Lighthouse. "It's a lot of fun. There's only so many opportunities you get as a teenager. It's good use of your time."
Local, state and national volunteer officials say younger generations are getting more involved, despite federal statistics that say otherwise.
Volunteer organizations such as volunteermatch.org see young people under 19 as their largest volunteer group, said Robert Rosenthal, director of communications at VolunteerMatch.
Younger people are motivated by requirements for prep schools and colleges, a tighter job market and better performance skills, demonstrated leadership, and a great way to have fun and meet people, Rosenthal said.
A report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics found the volunteer rate for teens age 16 to 19 fell about 2 percent from 2006 to 2007, and that 30 percent of youth who volunteer do it through faith-based organizations.
"Service can be a powerful way for members to live their values and learn valuable lessons," said Michelle Hahn, program adviser for community service at the University of South Carolina. "They have the potential to make an impact on the local community and on their faith-based group because they are immersed in service."
Attending for the third time, Holtman, who is a member of Ridgewood Community Church, and some of her fellow church members made such an impact on Anacletus Wratee, who enjoyed lunch at Project Lighthouse Thursday.
"It means a lot, not just to me but to a lot of people because even Jesus Christ himself fed people," Wratee said.
Youths through the Great Commission Churches have been coming to the area for 15 years.
This year is Luke Beemer's first year in Myrtle Beach at the conference, and the 14-year-old member of Ridgewood Community Church said he will come again.
"Just doing good things for people is nice," Beemer said, "and knowing you're doing good things for people to make their day happy."
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