We walked laps around the event and some collected beads to count each one. As we walked, we could see the words of the wise posted on little cardboard signs and flip-flops scattered, flooded with the words unable to fit the boards. At the very end of the track, leaning up against a fence just before the woods, were four large, purple letters that spelled out hope. As enchanting the surroundings were described, nothing could compare to the feeling I had as I helped the national honor society with setting up Relay for life. Last year was my first year volunteering, but from both meeting new and old friends to an amazing performance, I know now that any chance I get, I’ll help again.

When my father first dropped me off, I headed straight for the NHS tent. The tent was already set up, and so I quickly found myself bored. I started on a walk. I bumped into two friends from when I used to be in governor’s school and stared walking around with them. Together, we made laps around the track, helping other volunteers as they came in. There was a young girl with a yellow rose filled lemonade stand and a woman who created a gigantic heart made from flowers. Soon, walkers overflowed the track like a sea of purple. As we continued to walk, we would talk to a few of the walkers surrounding us and quickly made new friends as we stepped to the beat of the band.

And the band, how could I forget to include it! They were not a group on tour, nor did they live solely off of the strings on their guitars. They were the average fathers and husbands who volunteered to come to the event. After the band took a break and the walkers ate from the buffet of food provided, a girl about my age took the stage and gave a speech about her struggles of taking care of her mother when she learned she had cancer. If the speech alone was not heart wrenching enough, she then sang Amazing Grace.

All things considered, the event may have been small, but everyone there was changed in their own way. And to think they were changed while already trying to make a difference. This is why, every chance I can possibly get, I will volunteer for Relay for Life.