Why Volunteering is important

Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, what are you doing for others?” 

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Volunteering is the life blood of any healthy community.  Economically and practically, many of the services, events and prosocial programming that exist in our communities, that benefit people of all ages, races, abilities, genders, religions and socioeconomic backgrounds, simply could NOT take place.  We ALL benefit from volunteering, either directly or indirectly. 

In the field of policing, like so many other service professions, the applicant MUST have some experience with volunteering.  An absence of volunteering makes it difficult for the applicant to convince anyone that they are entering the police profession to help people or to make their communities safer.

As Martin Luther King Jr. once asked, What are you doing to make your street, neighborhood, city, province or country stronger, safer and more enjoyable to live in? 

Assignment Details: 

Write a short essay on why you believe that volunteering is important.  Your essay should contain the following elements:

• Reasons why volunteering is important.
• A positive,personal experience that you had that related to volunteering. For example, you may have been the volunteer or the person who benefited from the volunteer efforts of someone else (e.g.:  a coach, tutor, mentor).  What impact did this experience have on you? Did the experience teach you any valuable lessons that you carry with you?
• Consider using statistics, quotes, reports, mission or value statements, etc.
• What volunteering do you plan on doing between now and April, 2021? Provide one specific details related one organization your are interested in volunteering for, their mandate and what role or responsibilities you would have as a volunteer.    

Other important instructions for this assignment:

• This assignment is worth 10% of your final grade.
• Your essay shall be no more than two typed, single space pages, font size 12.
• Grammar and spelling will count significantly to your final grade. Write as though this essay would comprise part of a job application.  As always, have trusted friends / family read your work before submitting.   
• Due date is Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020 at 11:00am – drop box on D2L.
• Use APA formatting. A source page is not included in the two written pages. 
• Complete the Volunteer Planning Form and add to drop-box.