Community Service! By: Krystle Riley

About the Organization… The community service event held on Saturday, April 23, 2005 was to raise support for PFC injured soldier John Ryan Thompson of The United States Army. John was injured by a bomb explosion in Baghdad, Iraq and suffered serious injuries from shrapnel. Over $300 was raised in support to help John and his family. Carwash Website

This girl is simply special… Katie Dorsey was the person who was in charge of the carwash. She came up with the idea and took all of the responsibilities of carrying the project out. Katie is a great friend with awesome character. She showed her love for her friends and I feel that she is a one-of-a-kind girl. Katie is simply special to many people!

Here I am working hard at the car wash…

All of the students who worked hard to get support for our injured soldier!!!

Here are some of my classmates at the carwash…

Type of work that I did… On the day of the car wash, I woke up, got dressed, and headed to Waffle House where the car wash was being held. Once we got there it was time to setup. We filled the buckets with soap and water and got out the sponges and towels. Posters were made for students to hold up next to the street. After setting up, a few of the students took the signs that were made and held them up for the passing cars to see. The rest of us stayed in the parking lot waiting for the cars to arrive.

Type of work continued… When the first car arrived, we all worked together to clean it. One person wet the car and sprayed off the soap, a few of us washed it, and others helped dry it. That day we had many cars that came to get all washed up. At times there were 3 cars at once, which sometimes felt a little overwhelming, but we managed. The people that came to get their car washed were very nice. I talked to a few of them. The actual carwash was free, but donations were being accepted to help a soldier that was injured in Iraq. Some people donated money without even getting their car washed. Many people donated money that day, showing their support for our injured U.S. soldier. We raised over 100 dollars that day.

My feelings about the work… I really enjoyed working at the car wash. It was neat to see all of the people that were nice enough to support our injured soldier. Working together with all of my classmates taught me the importance of cooperation when working in a group. If everyone is cooperating and working then things get done in a more timely fashion. Even though I was tired at first and didn’t want to be there, when all was said and done, I gained personal satisfaction knowing that the money that we raised that day was going to help out someone who put their life on the line for me and my country. I really appreciate all of the troops in Iraq and giving a little bit of my time is the least I can do in order to show my appreciation!

The End!!!