As Henry the 8th said to one of his wives, I wont keep you long. Good evening, members and guests of the Lions Club. The average American high school student is in school 7 hours a day, from 8AM to 3PM and is asleep 9 hours a day, from 10PM to 7AM. Over the years, I have noticed that San Mateo County high school students are not your average American high school students. Most of us are at school from sunrise to sunset, club meeting here, track meet there, mom! Ill be home for dinner by six! Thats 10 hours a day at school! Thank God Im graduating soon. And 9 hours of sleep a day? Who sleeps 9 hours a day? I know I dont, Ill be lucky to get 6.
And now theyre asking us to do community service? On weekends?Over the years, interest in community service has slowly declined. People are hesitant to give their time and are more likely to point fingers and say, community service? Thats their job. Whose job’some will say that community service is the governments responsibility. They have the funds and the manpower. However, we see that the government is slowly abandoning the countrys needy by such actions as welfare reform. In 1996, the states were allowed to cut welfare benefits to those who need them most.
Professor Coffin at Harvard University, believes that governments are not good at creating a fabric of care in communities anyway, and that THAT should be where the churches come in. And by some estimates, churches spend a total of $12 billion dollars a year on services for the needy. That number however, does not include the volunteers and their countless hours of service. Yet, community service is still declining.
Why?Some say its because the kids arent helping out. Kids these days dont care about their community. Schools have to make community service a requirement to be able to graduate. Today’s youth should be responsible for community service. They have the energy and the enthusiasm, they have the time, and if anything, theyll serve the community that theyll grow up in, and maybe even their children will grow up in.
Or maybe community service should be the responsibility of the citizens who cannot abide by the law of the land. The citizen who jeopardizes the safety of the community should be obligated to give back to the community what he or she has taken from it. The average number of community service hours ordered for an offense between 1997 and 1998 was 100 hours. Negligent driving was punished by 150 hours of community service, arson 175, and robbery 200 hours.
So if you think about it, if a person was driving drunk, decided to rob a store, then got scared and set the store on fire, they would be serving the community 525 hours. Can you imagine? What a citizen! 525 hours of community service! Now thats admirable, community service must be their responsibility. President Clinton said in him memorandum to the executive departments and agencies that, community service is a great American tradition and a profound expression of the civic values that bind us together as a Nation. So whose responsibility is community service really? Its mine, its yours, its even the lovely lady in the blues responsibility. Those who prosper, use, or simply even live and are safe in our community are obligated to a certain degree to give back to the community.
The people who work in San Mateo Countys businesses can give a small donation to their local Park and Recreation Department, for better uniforms and more equipment. High school students who have reaped the benefits of San Mateo Countys excellent public education can help a nearby elementary schoolteacher correct papers. Children who have a safe place to play can pick up a candy wrapper on the ground here and there. Even the elderly, who finally get to enjoy the beauty and environment of our community, can simply smile at someone who looked like they had a bad day. Sadly, most people these days dont have enough time to volunteer.
They complain about everyone being so competitive and never reaching out a helping hand. Then they get .
