Helping people, whether they are close to me or not, is one of the things I love doing the most.

It’s an opportunity to show someone or a community how much I love and care for them. The knowledge that I helped someone, or when the love and appreciation are reciprocated, warms my heart and is one of the things that truly makes me feel good. Three acts of love that make me happy are community service, helping my family, and giving advice to the people that come to me.

Community service is something that warms my heart, especially in Haiti. Knowing I was able to help make a difference for someone who doesn’t have the same opportunities that I have is one of the best feelings. Recently, my close friend started a foundation dedicated to her brother who passed away and who used to love helping our community. Our first project was to raise money to buy school bags and supplies for the kids whose parents or caretakers don’t have the means to buy these supplies for them. We raised enough money to make over 800 kits for pupils in schools from different areas. An event was then hosted to give out these bags and provide some snacks and drinks for the kids that were present. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to attend this event, but knowing that we were able to help these kids get better supplies and that they were happy to receive them was truly amazing. Helping people who are less fortunate by donating clothes, food, supplies, and helping to make their lives a bit better has a very positive effect on everyone involved, including ourselves.

My family, especially my little brother and sister, are always in need of some help, whatever the occasion. My brother and I have a bond where I always help him with school, to overcome things, and get things done if needed. As soon as everything goes well, he tells me about it and we laugh about certain things. My little sister is still a toddler, so I’m always doing things with her. I get her food, I help her change into her little outfits, I put on movies for her, and, most of all, I babysit her when our parents are out. These days she’s always around me. Although siblings do get a bit annoying, helping her is something I will never get tired of doing. My grandma is also someone whom I love helping. I love helping her get her mind off stress by going out with her, helping her babysit my cousins, or even driving when she feels like she can’t. I help her with laundry when we’re in the US and help her figure out where to go with the GPS, since sometimes it can be a little confusing, and it’s very easy to get lost. It is always the little things that matter.

Giving out advice to friends, family, or anyone who asks for it is equally fulfilling. I am the type of person that loves listening to what someone has to say and helping them in their situation. It shows them how much I care for them. My friends are usually the ones who come to me for advice. I don’t always know what to say to help them, but words usually just come to mind and suddenly I do help them. This doesn’t mean I’m always giving out advice; sometimes I can see that the only way to help this person is to hold their hand, give them a hug, take a walk with them, or reassure them that I’m right here. If anyone were to ask one of my loved ones if I am a helpful person, I am 99.9 percent sure they would say that I am. I can’t think of one time that it didn’t make me feel good to know that I helped them feel better. As an example, I have a friend who doesn’t have good memories of her birthdays. This year she asked me what to do in a certain situation around her birthday. I told her what I thought was the right thing to say, and I stayed with her all night until the afternoon on the next day. I helped her get over her sadness, and made sure she had a very special day. Seeing her happy was the only thing that I focused on, and I succeeded.

Being a helping hand to people I care about is a love language that I don’t know if many people have. It’s a passion and a joy to do - volunteering, helping new students adjust to the class, giving out advice, giving some type of reassurance, and just making people’s lives even a little bit easier.