Value of service: Lesson should be added to every curriculum

They aren't really old enough to understand. Not really. But the young men of the Wayne Warriors Tribe know that the money they are earning is being used for something good.

So, as they present their check to the Blue Ribbon Fund, they might not fully comprehend just how much of a difference they are making, but they understand that what they are doing is special.

And the lesson they will learn is the value of service to someone other than themselves.

There are some schools that make community service a part of their curriculum and graduation requirements. And more of them should consider it.

The reality is, today's children, for the most part, do not really understand sacrifice. So many caring parents make sure their children want for nothing, it is very difficult for these young people to comprehend that someone might not be as lucky as they are.

And they often do not realize how much work is done in a community by volunteers with nothing to gain except the satisfaction of knowing they made a difference in someone's life.

So when these young people grow older, they still do not make community service part of their lives.

A community needs its citizens to care about one another -- whether it is by donating a dollar you earned helping your dad in the yard or by serving the needy at a soup kitchen.

The lesson of selflessness is one that children will carry with them for the rest of their lives, and one that builds stronger communities later.

And it should be part of every school curriculum.

Published in Editorials on September 2, 2009 10:37 AM