Dad Daze: Receiving so much by volunteering

Many high school students must take part in a volunteer project in order to graduate. Each of my high school graduates, Jillian, 22, and Eddie, 18, had to donate time to earn their sheepskin.

The subject of volunteering came up recently during a conversation with my son Milo, 15, who asked if he could donate some of his time over the summer for a good cause. His altruism is laudable since Milo is opting to give up a portion of his favorite season for credit.

“I heard Jillian talking about how much she enjoyed her experience being selfless,” Milo said. “What she did was so unique and cool.”

During the summer of 2016, Jillian took part in a foundation dubbed Life Rolls On, which is a nonprofit that exists as a grassroots resource that provides hope and is an advocate on behalf of young people whose lives have been impacted by spinal cord injury.

Life Rolls On uses action sports to push the boundary of possibility for those with SCI. The action sport with which Jillian helped was surfing along the New Jersey shore during the summer of 2016.

She and those in the Life Rolls On camp helped paraplegics onto surf boards, and it was quite an emotional and visceral experience. “It was unbelievable,” Jillian recalled. “You could take a surfer out in shallow or deep water, and I opted for deep.”

Jillian helped the surfers board and catch waves and also acted as a cheerleader. “I made sure they had a good time,” Jillian said. “I connected with this woman, who was about 20. I asked her if she was going to come back next year, and she said, ‘Only if you’re coming back.’ ”

Jillian did return to volunteer the following year just for the sake of helping. “It was so rewarding seeing the smiles on the faces of these incredible people who had the gift of walking and running taken from them,” Jillian said.

“It was almost as if they were back like they were before what impacted their lives in such an awful way. It was the least I could do.”

Jillian was rewarded for her efforts. The senior project instructors at her high school were impressed enough to give her a perfect score, which, according to one of her teachers, is extremely rare.

“We normally don’t give 100s for the project, but your daughter made me cry,” her biology instructor, Ms. DeWees, confessed. Actually, all four of the instructors who handled the project wept when Jillian detailed her experience.

However, when it came to Eddie, who was a terror throughout his senior year, I was on the verge of tears since he was not the most enthusiastic volunteer.

Part of the reason it wasn’t easy to come up with a slot for Eddie was due to his schedule. Eddie had the opportunity to work on a church project in New Orleans, but his baseball itinerary prevented a trip to the Big Easy.

A bigger impediment than baseball was a difficult girlfriend during his final high school year. In the end, Eddie donated hours at a baseball facility. What Eddie accomplished wasn’t on the level of his sister. The same can also be said for his grade.

I explained to Milo that he should volunteer, and that the busier he is, the more he will accomplish. I pointed to Eddie and Jillian, who were a tale of two different seniors. By November of the swan song of their high school careers, Eddie and Jillian committed to colleges.

Eddie had a forgettable year since he was distracted by his girlfriend and having a good time. Jillian avoided the party scene and continued to receive straight A’s. I asked her why she cared and expended so much energy when she was all set for college.

“I’m here to learn, and my teachers care about us getting an education,” Jillian said. “It would be disrespectful to my teachers if I didn’t do the work and failed to pay attention in class, and it would be a disservice to me.”

One of Jillian’s teachers explained that it’s so important for a student to continue to excel as a high school senior since those habits will help in college. Jillian reached the upper echelon as a student at her university.

The jury is still out on Eddie, who is faring well as a freshman in college but loathes virtual learning. I’m just hoping Milo understands that volunteering is important and that it can help build his work ethic.

“I want to give back,” Milo said. “I know you don’t think I appreciate all that I have and all of the opportunities you’ve given me, but I am thankful. I know from playing baseball that there are so many kids out there who have had a more difficult path in life than me.

“If I don’t give back, what does that say about me? I’ll find something worthwhile to do this summer. I just don’t know what it is yet.”

Any and all suggestions are appreciated.