There are few things in this world about which I am as passionate as charitable endeavor. I truly believe that serving our fellow man is the most important thing we can do on this earth; and, in my opinion human outreach should be at the core of everything we are as ordinary people, students, professionals, etc. Perhaps I so strongly believe this because I have been lucky enough to be a part of several different communities in which this very ideal is upheld and promoted. My friends have always participated in mission trips and ongoing service through various charitable agencies. The schools I have attended have always sponsored service initiatives both within my local community and around the globe. My parents have always donated time and money to the Catholic Church as well as institutions of Catholic Education. Oddly enough, out of the countless retreats that I have planned, dozens of service sites I have visited and the major philanthropic events that I have organized, there is one small act of charity work that stands out as most formative in my cultivation of a lifelong passion for service. This experience takes me back to the age of five, the first Halloween during which I vividly remember trick or treating. I was dressed as the beautifully exotic Esmerelda from the 1996 Disney movie The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and that year, I trick or treated for UNICEF. If any of you are unfamiliar with "Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF," it is one of UNICEF's largest special fundraising initiatives. To kick start this fundraiser each year, UNICEF hands out cardboard boxes nearing Halloween time at various grocery stores, schools, etc. Families (or any individual) can pick up these boxes and ask for change while trick or treating in any neighborhood. Now don't get me wrong, my parents definitely let me trick or treat for candy back in 1996 as well, but I remember the experience of asking for change that year way more warmly than scoring any king sized candy bars. In fact, this experience was really the first time that I felt like I could do something quite meaningful for my fellow man without much effort at all. It is possible and profitable to integrate service work, entertainment and even the most commonplace experiences of daily life in order to create a world where no one is in need. Even at the age of five, UNICEF helped me to understand this reality; and, this is a tenet by which I still abide today. Last week, I submitted a job application for what has been my post-grad dream job for years, the 2014 Global Citizenship Fellowship Program at the Chicago offices of UNICEF. As I was writing about how passionately interested I am in the program and what an honor it would be to work for such an amazing organization, I couldn't help but thank both my parents and my five year old costumed self for embracing such an awesome opportunity at such a formative stage. It would truly fulfill a lifelong ardor to work as fellow for UNICEF. But, this time around, I would probably trade in the Esmerelda get up and cardboard box for a professional blazer and leather briefcase.
https://secure.unicefusa.org/site/Donation2;jsessionid=DF894FEE2AC5885B7B442EA3450DCF3B.app244a?idb=1140229611&df_id=2041&2041.donation=form1
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