Nourished by Giving: What Volunteerism Taught Me About Love
Written by Brynn Elson
It’s 6 p.m. on Monday of finals week, and I have an analytical chemistry exam in 14 hours. After taking two finals already, the thought of another long evening of poring over textbooks and practice exams seems mentally exhausting. At least I don’t have to study for the next hour, I think. I stand up from the table and walk to the front of the library to wait for my two elementary students from Jonesville, who I matched with through the GOAL Public School Tutoring Program. The timing is perfect—they walk in the front door just as I round the corner.
When I focused on helping the girls with their spelling words and math homework, analytical chemistry didn’t even cross my mind. Even though it was an hour that I could have spent studying (and maybe should have spent studying), I didn’t regret taking time out of one of the busiest days of the semester for the weekly tutoring hour that I share with my students.
Hillsdale students have probably heard the term “Hillsdale bubble,” which refers to the insularity of Hillsdale’s campus and culture. Hillsdale students are unlikely to set foot in the town of Hillsdale or get to know the residents—after all, everything we need lies within a half-mile radius of Central Hall, the tallest building in the world. While it’s certainly convenient to live on campus, my experience with the GOAL Public School Tutoring has shown me the great blessings that accompany community involvement.
One of the best ways for students to build relationships with members of the community is through volunteerism. Programs like A Few Good Men are directly involved with the community through public service; they assist needy Hillsdale citizens with everything from chopping wood to washing windows. Other programs, like Public School Tutoring, connect Hillsdale students with children from the community one-on-one. Still, other programs connect students with the community in more unique ways: Journal Buddies, for example, enables Hillsdale students to share their love of reading with Gier Elementary School students.
The volunteer programs that Hillsdale College supports endorse the motto “service above self,” encouraging students to remove themselves from the all-consuming world of academics. At a school as competitive as Hillsdale, it is tempting for students to forgo their pursuit of “the good, the true, and the beautiful” for the pursuit of a high GPA, a stellar resume, and an enviable social life. However, volunteerism forces Hillsdale students outside of the “Hillsdale bubble,” both physically (by working in the community) and mentally (by thinking of others first). Students are more likely to improve their character when they focus on helping others before they help themselves.
Community involvement through GOAL volunteering also comes with unexpected blessings. This Thanksgiving, because of the relationships built out of the GOAL Public School Tutoring program, I sat down to dinner with two of my students and their very large extended family. Since traveling home to the western United States is very costly and time-consuming, I didn’t go home for Thanksgiving. Knowing my predicament, the mother of two of my students invited me to their home for Thanksgiving.
The small amount of charity that I showed their family by tutoring the girls for a single hour each week paled in comparison to the great gift—of a warm, welcoming home on Thanksgiving—that they gave me. That’s the thing about love and charity, though: these gifts are given freely, not out of obligation. My “adopted” family did not invite me to their family farm for Thanksgiving because they owed it to me. Tutoring has taught me that volunteering, if it comes from a place of love (rather than the ambition to build one’s resume), involves personal sacrifice and inconvenience. Giving to someone out of poverty might look like helping a friend with their homework despite your personal desire to go to bed, or calling a family member even though you have an exam the next day. St. Maximilian Kolbe wrote, “Let us remember that love lives through sacrifice and is nourished by giving. Without sacrifice, there is no love.” If we truly love our neighbors and serve our community as we are called to do, then we must sacrifice for them through service.
Brynn Elson, ’23, is a biochemistry major with a decent comprehension of the English language. She enjoys drinking coffee, playing the clarinet, and overcommitting to things. When she’s not studying (which is rare), you might be able to find her running (read: getting lost) on the back roads or complaining about Hillsdale’s lack of mountains.
Published in February 2022