OC Children's Book Festival

Although I’m an officer, these past few weeks, I felt like I haven’t been active enough within our Key Club in terms of actual volunteer work (not DCM’s). So, I forced myself to sign up for this event. All shifts (which were, in total, fifteen and a half hours) were spread out over the weekend and I volunteered for all of them. I was so tired.

However, like any volunteer experience, I came back with new knowledge and a new experience. To me, this is invaluable and always worth a morning sleeping in.

Some things I learned:

1. How to set up a sound system

2. How to make friends when you don’t know anyone at the event

3. The fact that I had the strength to lift some heavy boxes that I thought I wouldn’t be able to carry!

4. How to take initiative

5. Some really great animal puns and jokes

This event was on Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday, we helped set up the book fair by setting up directional signs and the dining room. On Sunday, I helped with last-minute set up in the morning and afterwards helped set up microphones and speakers for one of the stages. Towards the end of the event, I helped an author with her sales and booth.

I know it’s hard to sign up for events, especially in the school year when everyone is busy, but you should always try to make room for a volunteer event or two. It’s definitely hard to get yourself to sign up; it’s hard to wake up on the day of the event and be excited to go, and it may even be hard to have to go through the event. Despite all of this, I promise that the feeling you get afterwards of accomplishment and gratitude is enough motivation to volunteer for more events. It takes a little effort to start volunteering, but that is enough to set the ball rolling.

In the end, you never remember the heat on the day of the event or the sore muscles from lugging around ladders and tables all day. Now, I just remember that the stage manager gave me advice on how to be happy in the career I choose. I just remember the appreciation the author I helped had for me because she had bad eyesight and the fact that she trusted a total stranger with her profits. I remember that she even asked me for my contact information even though she lives in Chicago. I remember how friendly a poet was and the small talk we made while I helped him load his car. These are the things you truly get out of volunteer events, not just hours.