As the end of the school year rapidly approaches, we often begin thinking about summer and what we will choose to do during our free time. Summer is the perfect time to begin volunteering, and there are many different service opportunities to participate in. Lisa Sackreiter, Director of Service Learning & Community Engagement, suggests “find[ing] something that you love and that connects with the interest areas that you have.”

Many Blake students have already found a service opportunity that they are passionate about. Loraine Pidot ‘26 volunteers with Special Olympics, an organization where people with cognitive or physical disabilities learn how to play a sport they are excited about. As she volunteers through this organization, Pidot explains, “Responsibility [has been] one of the most important things I have learned because…you are kind of on your own and it’s pretty self-directed.” Pidot discusses the ways in which volunteering creates a sense of community; “Service brings me together with people who I might not normally hang out with, and it also gives [the athletes] somebody who they can look up to.”

Students are also working to address volunteer activities impacting the environment. Sophie Herron ‘24 volunteers outside of school with the Green Crew, a youth-led environmental organization. As part of The Green Crew’s Executive Committee, Herron “help[s] to lead projects” as well as create goals for the organization, one of which was to “increase equitable access to tree coverage in neighborhoods.”

Despite the many challenges volunteers face in The Green Crew, including having flexibility when local residents are not in favor of the list of trees being planted. Herron describes that she has “learned a lot through volunteering about persevering through challenges and making difficult situations work by finding solutions.”

Although volunteering once can be beneficial, Sackreiter explains that developing a consistent routine and focusing on one main organization helps students “come to understand the service and commitment at a different level” and “build deeper relationships.” Pidot adds that the people you are serving “might see you once, but if they keep seeing you, then you are making an even greater impact in their life.”

So if you are looking for something fun to do during your free time this summer, or want to find a way to become more involved with the people in your community, service is the perfect way to do that. If you are uncertain about where to begin, just take Herron’s advice: “You will learn lots of life skills [through service], so just start!”

The most transformative moments of my life have come on a 150-acre plot of land in Conover, Wisconsin. For 8 summers, I attended Camp Ramah in Wisconsin. Those were the best summers of my life, and I will always remember the experiences I had with my cabinmates, who became my brothers. There was the time our counselors made us grilled cheese while we watched “Avatar: The Last Airbender,” the time we searched for the best roofball court in camp, our song sessions on Thursday and Friday nights, and too many more to name.

Ella Chester ‘24, who also attended Camp Ramah in Wisconsin, had similar experiences. “I think the camp community is really nice because we all come there together year after year. We grow up together. At the beginning, we’re all put in the same situation, going there without your parents. [Camp is] so different from the outside world, when we’re at camp we often refer to it as the ‘camp bubble.’ There’s something really nice about that, you all bond so closely. Almost by proximity and how much time you spend together,” Chester remarked.

After her time as a camper came to an end, Chester is going back to camp to be a counselor. “For me, counselors have always been like older siblings or huge role models, and they really make or break the camp experience. Counselors have been some of the most important people in my life growing up. Seeing them, looking up to them, learning things from them. There’s part of me that wants to go back and be [part of] that positive experience for other kids, provide guidance,” she explained.

The camp community is one that stays with you forever. “Another part of me is not ready to leave camp, I don’t want to be done with camp. I want to keep going [back], I miss that community. I miss getting to take part in the traditions I love there. Even if it’s in a different form, I get to contribute to [the community] more. I care so much about the community that going back on staff, I get to feed and take care of the community I care about,” Chester continued.

“When I am missing camp, I think a lot about Kabbalat Shabbat (all-camp lakeside Friday night services) where we’re all just there doing something together. It doesn’t matter, how you’re connected to it, but you’re doing it together. It creates a really nice sense of community. It’s a feeling of togetherness [that’s] so hard to find elsewhere. Even people I’m not best friends with in my age group, I consider them close like family. We’re not best friends, we wouldn’t naturally be close and yet I care about them so much.”