Service Community
Aren’t we always saying we wish we had more time? Well with daylight savings, today we do. It may just be one hour—but Girl Scouts know how to get creative to make that hour count.
So let’s use the extra time to do what Girl Scouts love most—change the world! Here are four ways to make the world a better place today (and every day):
- Donate an hour. Instead of letting this gift of time fly past you, offer to help a friend with a project; volunteer at a local community center, animal shelter, or charity event; initiate an impromptu trash cleanup in your neighborhood… There are so many options! Whatever you choose, doing something thoughtful with that extra hour can go a long way.
- Have a lunch pack party. Feed some mouths and a few souls with a lunch pack party. Get your friends together and ask them to supply Ziploc bags, bread, cold cuts, sliced cheese, condiments, fruit, and bottled water. Then get to packing! If you have just four friends over and each of you assembles 10 lunch packs, that’s 40 people you can go out and feed in one day—how awesome is that? And if you can’t make it out during lunch, that’s OK; distribute the packs around dinnertime instead. For a little extra nourishment, include a note with a few hope-filled words in each one! It may take a little longer than an hour, but it will be worth it.
- Make an overdue phone call. Is there a friend you’ve been meaning to get in touch with for a while but just haven’t found the time to? Pick up the phone and make it happen! After all, there’s no time like the present. You’ll feel good about reconnecting, and no doubt the other person will too.
- Let someone (or someones) take your place in line. This is an easy thing we can all do to make such a difference—perhaps for a mom or dad rushing home to the kids, for an elderly person who may have trouble standing for long periods, or for someone who’s just having a bad day. So what do you say? Let ‘em cut! Then step to the end of the line and watch your good deed shine.
See? Service comes in doses large and small—even an hour can make a not-so-small difference.
Can you think of other fun and rewarding ways to put your extra hour to good use? What are you waiting for? Leap into leadership, grab your family and friends, and head out to change the world, one modest-yet-powerful act at a time. Girl Scouts is cheering you on!
