Many of today's teens have made serving their community a priority. Whether they want to help others and better their town or something to put on school and job applications, every year the young people of Santa Fe spend countless hours and a great abundance of their energy and effort volunteering their time.

"(Volunteering) is a good experience because you get to learn new things and you get to help the community," said Gabriella Cruz, 16, who volunteers at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi. Cruz assists with whatever she can at the cathedral.

"Not only do I get to help the community," Cruz said, "but I'm also getting done some of the community-service hours I need for my confirmation."

"Community service is an amazing way to make a difference and be apart of something big," said Cindy Granillo, 16. She and Cruz agree; being able to lend a hand is an extremely gratifying experience.

"I'm a very service-oriented person and volunteering is something that I very much enjoy doing," Granillo said, who volunteers at Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center. "Knowing I made a difference in someone's life gives the greatest satisfaction."

Granillo volunteers every Wednesday in the facility's emergency room. She offers people drinks in the waiting rooms and does whatever she can to help out, assisting the doctors, nurses and patients.

For people like Cruz or Granillo who are interested in not only improving their own lives but also the lives of those around them, service work might be a smart place to begin. The benefits can be far-reaching.

Serving the community has the power to open one's eyes to new ideas and new people, and may become the basis of new goals or the driving force behind previously undiscovered passions. One of the first things to consider when on a quest for the perfect volunteer position is personal interests. Also, think about who or what you'd like to help — maybe it's animals, children, the elderly or the less-fortunate.

Local teens volunteer every week in places such as churches, the Santa Fe Children's Museum, soup kitchens, fire departments, the hospital, the Santa Fe Animal Shelter and Humane Society, Habitat for Humanity, and the Teen Court of Santa Fe.

"The advantages of volunteering are that you get to help others; you can get community-service credit; you can get public-school credit as an elective; you get to improve your public speaking skills; you learn about the court system and about restorative justice (taking responsibility and giving back)," said Alice Sealey, Teen Court's Program Manager.

Community service can be something done for fun as well. Working with children at the Children's Museum is fun for both volunteers and children, alike, said Jeff Daily, who works with the museum's volunteers.

"It seems teens can communicate with the target audience (2- to 12-year-olds) better than adults," Daily said. Teen volunteers do lots of things, from demonstrating activities, showing children live animals and making puppets, to helping facilitate art programs, working the garden and demonstrating the merchandise in the museum's shop. "(Volunteers) help children get more out of the experience," Daily said.

Even though they don't get paid, volunteering is a great "first job experience," Daily
said, and since the Children's Museum is a community organization, the volunteers are "providing a service to the children of the community."

It's easy to get involved in any of Santa Fe's community-service programs. The Santa Fe Children's Museum, for instance, holds volunteer orientations about every other Thursday, where volunteer hopefuls are given an introduction on the ins and outs of the museum.

"Make sure to call first," Daily said. Most places have orientation or introduction days where teens are able to learn the ropes.



Tori Velarde is a junior at Santa Fe High School. You can reach her at tori@velardenm.com