【推荐2】The meaning of the word “volunteer” may be a little different in different countries, but it usually means “one who offers his or her services” .There are many different ways in which people can volunteer, such as taking care of sick people, working in homes for homeless children, and picking up garbage(垃圾)from beaches and parks. Volunteers may work within their own countries or in other countries. They are often people with a strong wish to help those who are less fortunate than themselves. Volunteers don’t expect any kind of pay.

At the root of volunteering is the idea that one person may have the ability to offer services that can help other people. Tracy, a good friend of mine, however, recently came back from India with a new idea of what being a volunteer means. She worked for two and a half weeks in one of Mother Teresa’s homes in Calcutta. The following is her story.

“I first heard about Mother Teresa in my high school, we watched a video(录像)about her work in India and all over the world. I was so moved by her spirit to help others and her endless love for every human being that after I graduated from high school, I too wanted to try her kind of work. So with two friends I flew to Calcutta for a few weeks.”

“I was asked to work in a home for sick people. I helped wash clothes and sheets, and pass out lunch. I also fed the people who were too weak to feed themselves and tried to cheer them up. I felt it was better to share with them than to think that I have helped them. To be honest, I don’t think I was helping very much. It was then that I realized that I had not really come to help, but to learn about and experience another culture (文化) that helped improve my own understanding of life and the world.”

【推荐3】It was my first day of sixth grade. I looked at my schedule and saw that I had Mrs.Foxwell and this made me happy. Over the next three years, Mrs.Foxwell taught me many important things that I will never forget.

Of all of the teachers and coaches I have had in my life, Mrs.Foxwell has been my favorite leader. In her class, she taught me how to be a successful leader. She also taught me that good leaders earn everyone’s respect.

Mrs.Foxwell is one of the most respected and respectful people I know. She is always kind to everyone and she treats others the way that she wants to be treated. She taught me respect in many different ways, but mainly how to be respectful in the business world. She told me that I needed to have a firm handshake and that I should always look people in the eye when I talk to them. Mrs.Foxwell also taught me that you could earn someone’s respect by working hard to achieve your goals.

In addition to working at Brandywine Springs, Mrs.Foxwell once worked at a bank as a manager but she gave that up to teach kids how to be successful. Mrs.Foxwell told our class how she would cry because of the amount of work she had to do in very little time. She taught our class that working all night at something you don’t love is very stressful, so you should try and do something you love. In the end, she taught me that you have to keep your head high and pull through. I don’t think I have ever worked as hard in any class as I did in her class. We created our own 28-page business plan to share with her, our parents, other teachers and our classmates. Although creating a business from nothing was a lot of hard work, I really enjoyed it and learned several lessons that will help me throughout life.

I have had a lot of role models in my life, but one of the biggest is Eva Foxwell. She taught me leadership qualities, how to be respectful and why you should work hard. She changed my life for the better and I desire to be like her.

【推荐2】Don’t ignore the difference teenagers can make.

John Michael Thomas, Florida

When John Michael Thomas decided to honor his friend and classmate Elizabeth Buckley, who died from cancer, he remembered how much she loved peacocks(孔雀) .He wanted to build a life-sized peacock fountain in Elizabeth’s favorite park in the city in memory of his friend. He thought it could be a place for people to relax and be inspired. John Michael raised $52,000 to build the fountain.

Barrett Smith, 13, Utah

The wheels began to turn for Barrett Smith when he heard about Karma Bike Shop, a place where young people can earn free bikes by rending and performing community service.

Barrett visited Karma’s owner with his idea: he would collect and repair. used bikes and donate them to the shop.

He expected to get about 10 donated bikes. In the end, Barrett received 39.

Zachary Blohm, 15, Wisconsin

The 25-year-old playground at an elementary school near Milwaukee, Wisconsin was so small that only 70 of its 575 students could play on it at a time.

That’s when Zachary Blohm saved the day(扭转局面). He and some volunteers wanted to build a huge playground. To raise money, Zachary planned T-shirt and bake sales, sold tickets and more. He held monthly money-raising events for more than a year. Overall, he collected $130, 000— enough to finish his project.

Jack Zimmerman, 16, New Jersey

For some people, finding a meal is as simple as opening there the refrigerator. For more than 366,000 hungry kids in New Jersey, it’s not that easy.

That fact didn’t sit well with Jack Zimmerman, who organized a drive to lessen childhood hunger in his state. His goal: create 40,000 packaged meals that could be donated to those in need.

On game day, Jack and his volunteers started their work. After the final count, the team had packaged 47,124 meals—well above Jack’s goal.