This time of the year is full of joy and reflection. It’s a time in the year where many of us look back on resolutions we made to ourselves in the beginning and reminisce on all the changes that have happened throughout. Like many others 2016 has been full of ups: I graduated from college, decided to move to the big city of Pittsburgh, and accepted a position as a National Health Corps (NHC) Member. I suddenly found myself becoming a part of a we instead of just an I. The twenty of us met each other as strangers 6 short months ago and have now become a strong foundation for each other, a corps, that are focused on meeting our common resolutions of serving our community and making an impact while doing it.
As a member, I serve as a Nutrition Educator at The Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. Along with one other member, we work as a team to impact an 11-county service area by programing and demonstrating healthy eating tips, cooking, and nutrition information, but it doesn’t stop there. Individually many of us have taken on independent volunteer opportunities including assisting with ESL classes at local library branches to giving free time to help serve a hot meal to anyone who might want one this winter. Together the NHC- Pittsburgh core has spent countless hours volunteering our time to help different organizations throughout this great city. From river clean-ups in 30 degree weather to packing safer-sex kits for the Pittsburgh Aids Task Force, we have become a driving force for ourselves to reach our 2016 resolutions.
As the year comes to a close in just a few short days, I am sure that we will all be sitting down and making a new list of resolutions to ourselves. I have found that realizing that those resolutions can become a reality is something that takes little effort when you find the right support. I am amazed at what my corps has done in just 6 months and I cannot wait to see what more great things we will be able to accomplish in our second half of our service.
