I’ve been writing about volunteering. Then last month I found this certificate for distinguished service in college in 1993 cleaning out my father’s basement and had to share the story behind it.

A church near Columbia on 114th Street and Broadway served a soup kitchen. I volunteered there every Friday. I just went on my own. Partly I consider activities like it as civic duty. Also I find it rewarding. I meet people in my community.

Independently, Columbia had a program called Community Impact that motivated students to volunteer and participate in the community. So other students often volunteered. None of the students who volunteered through Community Impact attended as regularly as I did, so Community Impact invited me to join their strategy and planning events to help activate more students and so on.

Since I never actively joined Community Impact but they valued my input and I think wanted to use my example to motivate others, they gave me the certificate.

No big deal, but it warmed my heart to see it after decades.

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