Putting aside time for the community and the people around her is imperative to junior Taylor Sexton.
Sexton said, “I think we have all been fed up in our lives and distracted by different activities such as sports, school work, and jobs, but I feel like it is our responsibility to make a difference in the community and make someone’s day better.”
Sexton has participated and currently takes part in a variety of different organizations and activities to assist the people around her.
She has given her time to the Save the Music Festival at Twin Pines Park in Belmont. During this annual event she has helped kids tie dye t-shirts to raise money for the music programs throughout the elementary schools in the Belmont-Redwood Shores School District (BRSSD) in addition to performing with Carlmont’s advanced women’s choir, Treble Clef.
“Even though volunteering is such a commitment, taking time out of my day to help someone who is in need makes it all worthwhile,” said Sexton.
In addition to Save the Music, Sexton also donates her time at Girl Scout Camp as a counselor. Each counselor is given a unit of approximately 18 girls who are generally in the second or third grades and is accountable for them all and their activities each day. Throughout the session, the girls are taught how to cook on a wood fire with appropriate food and safety precautions and many other important wilderness habits.
Sexton said, “Although this job may seem fun and easy, it requires commitment and responsibility. I am in charge of their arts and crafts, story time, lanyard creations, and last but not least talent show at the very end of camp.”
In order to complete these tasks, Sexton needs stellar organizational and leadership skills, the ability to get along well with children (especially little girls), and to be a good role model.
For those who are unfamiliar, the Ronald McDonald House is a non profit organization and a home for many people who need stability and resources for their families.
”The Ronald McDonald House helps people that don’t have the opportunity to help themselves,” said Sexton.
Sexton participated in a service project there. In one specific event that she took part in, Sexton and others organized a get together for kids that were suffering from diseases and provided arts and crafts, low-key games, drawing, a photo booth, and dress up.
Sexton said, ”These days, people (teenagers in particular) complain about the stupidest things, but in reality we could be so much less fortunate than we are now. Volunteering helps me experience the reality that many are faced with on a daily basis. It puts all of my problems and small life crises in reality and volunteering forces me to appreciate all that I am given in my community by my family and friends.”
