The Young Hearts Leadership Council: A Year in Review

Each time that I arrived at a meeting or outing, I was astounded by how much I would learn. I had the opportunity to meet with executive staff members as well as attend incredible, meaningful events like Race to Deliver, the Love Rocks NYC concert, and the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new God’s Love Meal Distribution Center at Liberty BKLYN in Sunset Park. I also had the pleasure of befriending an incredible group of teens who all wanted to bring positive change to their communities.

The more time I spent on the council, the more I got to see how every part of God’s Love embodied the message that food truly is love. I was able to understand and see how many people God’s Love can positively impact through the meals they provide. Every time I see a God’s Love truck around New York, I smile, knowing that this amazing organization that I have been involved in is actively helping someone in need.

The collective experience of serving on the Council culminated in a final project: to create and produce a video meant to explain why kids our age should volunteer. The process of making the video was very enjoyable, but what was extra special in making the video was that each council member was able to really reflect on the varying reasons for why we decided to volunteer and what we have learned during our time on the council. This experience taught me that for each person, their motivation and experience from volunteering will be different.

For any young adults considering applying to join the council or to volunteer, I strongly urge you to do so, so that you can find what that unique experience of volunteering can bring to you. Because of my experience on the Council, I will be interning in the summer to connect and assist clients with the services provided by God’s Love. I look forward to seeing what the future holds for the Council, and I hope that their time on the council will be as incredible as it was for me.