OC Marathon

I remember waking up at 3 AM and feeling extremely tired before this service event. Normally, I'm not much of a morning person, but when it comes to Key Club events, I'm actually more lively no matter what time of day it is. The shift itself was about four hours and I was surprised to see that my club had about 25 volunteers, which was way higher than the average amount of volunteers we'd get. When I got to the OC Marathon, I was really thrilled to see how awake and ready to serve my fellow members were. They were all socializing amongst one another and patiently waiting to get picked up by the shuttle.

Once the shuttle had picked us up, we got dropped off in pairs about a quarter of a mile apart from each other and were stationed to cheer for the runners. The girl I was stationed with only had one close friend and she hadn't arrived yet, so I decided to pair up with her to try and make her time at the event more memorable. As we eagerly waited for the runners to pass by our station, I struck up a conversation with her and learned a lot about her life. Although she seemed pretty introverted and reserved at first, I found out that she was very outgoing and enjoyed the company of others. That was when I realized that I had common interests with her, and so instantly we clicked. We ended up talking for hours at the event in between cheering for the runners and it definitely made my experience at the event more enjoyable. Volunteering at the OC Marathon wasn't pleasant for me just because of the Newport Beach ocean breeze or the scenic Corona Del Mar area we were stationed near, but I was content with it because I had made a new connection with a person and learned why inclusiveness is so important. If I had kept to myself the entire time instead of talking to the girl I was partnered with, I never would've learned about her life and made that personal connection. Key Club helps me learn how to talk to different people at every event I go to, and even when I'm doing service, I find a way to improve my social skills.

Ultimately, service is tied into personal growth if you keep an open mind, so when you're a person like me who loves to help others and meet new people too, it's a win-win situation.

#marathon