LOOK IN

 to the blogs…
&

FIND OUT

 about Team Maria!

I’ve created a new series for this page, featuring blogs developed and written by my very own team.  I hope they will help introduce you to the members of our Team who work daily on projects and issues we care deeply about.  I also hope you will take the time to not only read them, but respond to them.  Hearing your thoughts and ideas is a great way for us to connect to you and other Californians -- and important in learning how together we can make a difference in our communities and our state. 

The Power of Service

Providing service to others was an escape for me. I was brought up with limited opportunities, but an abundance of disfunctionality and disappointments, which instilled a sense of hopelessness in me. I was seeking to help others not realizing I desperately wanted to help myself.

Growing up in a city like San Francisco it was easy to find communities that needed me as much as I needed them; I just had to put myself out there. By becoming involved with service through AmeriCorps, windows of opportunities opened, and provided me with a way out of an unhealthy, uncomfortable state of mind. Before my involvement with AmeriCorps, I wasn’t aware of the many positive organizations dedicated to providing youth like me with the support and resources needed for a chance at a better future.

Through my involvement with service and AmeriCorps, I not only helped myself, but I also was able to guide and empower others. Let me tell you, there is nothing like empowering another human being. Through service, I have been engaged with amazing non-profit organizations and remarkable people of all ages throughout San Francisco. Service to my community has become a way of life for me; through service to others, I have learned so much about myself and all that I am capable of. Everyone is capable, no matter their circumstances, to help another person.

Everyone has something to offer and there’s definitely someone out there who needs you. Service to others is contagious and extremely addicting. My addiction is tutoring. I absolutely enjoy sharing knowledge with the youth I tutor. The amazing youth I’ve connected with never stop teaching me something new. Every time I am given the opportunity to interact with young minds I walk away a more conscious, loving and hopeful being.

Volunteering, service, helping, whatever you want to call it, is beneficial in so many ways. Beside the great experience and knowledge gained, I have also established great relationships with people who also know the importance of community involvement and empowerment. Service to others is as necessary for our well being as it is for the people being empowered. It's time we all discover the power of service.

Elizabeth Marie Lopez
AmeriCorps Member 2002-2004
CaliforniaVolunteers Youth Commissioner

To learn about service opportunities in your community, visit CaliforniaVolunteers.org