A Lifetime of Service...by Michael

I hope that you are all settling back into your normal school routines. As we come return back to our school and our chapters we should continue to embody the four points of the DECA Diamond: Academically Prepared, Professionally Responsible, Experienced Leaders, and of course, Community Oriented. It’s crucial that, as DECA members, we embody all the points of the diamond. And we can start by being active in our community and giving back.

I have a passion for community service that I’ve developed by volunteering with the S.O.S. Children’s Village. A few years ago, I took part in my mom’s company annual day of service at S.O.S. That day I developed a devotion for community service by landscaping at the foster homes.  The organization provides refuge for families that have been fostered by the state. The foster children live with families in an upper-class neighborhood with access to some of the best schools in Broward County.  The organization is unique because they keep families of foster children together so brothers and sisters aren’t separated. Since that day, I try to volunteer regularly at S.O.S. and have made friends with the foster kids and connected with the dedicated families who truly know what it means to be community oriented.

Community service can be unique to everyone. Find a cause you believe in and feel strongly about and work to meet the goals of the organization. Whether it is ending hunger, fighting a disease, or strengthening a community, we can all make an impact in our own way.  You can use www.charitynavigator.org to help find an organization or charity near you that you’re passionate about.

As a chapter, you can start your charitable endeavors right away by taking part in Florida DECA Helping Hands. As a chapter, you can collect peanut butter, jelly and prepackaged breakfast items for the Manna Food Pantries of Escambia and Santa Rosa counties. Bring your items to the Florida DECA Emerging Leaders Summit in Orlando on October 11-13 to see how many items chapters from around the state collected!

As DECA members, we should all strive to be community oriented. What started as a day of service for me, transformed into a lifetime of service.  I hope each and every one of you find a cause or charity you’re passion and starts your own lifetime of service.