Senior Laura Phillips juggles marching band, tennis, academic life and manages to volunteer as well.
“When I volunteer it is usually for a cause that I think is important, which makes the work really easy,” Phillips said. “It’s always cool to see the people you serve and see how the work you are doing is making a difference, it’s what motivates you to keep going.”
Having volunteered for Birthday Blessings, Center for Student Missions, Highland Support Project, Be the Match, Salvation Army, and other organizations, Phillips recalls her biggest project to be the bone marrow registration for her “Gold Award” for Girl Scout.
“This project was important for me because my dad had leukemia when I was in sixth grade,” Phillips said. “He needed stem cells, so they had to take DNA from him and look at a registry to see if there was a possible donor. I wanted to educate people on campus and register them to be a possible donor, so someone like my dad could go to the registry and find a match.”
After registering 40 people for the drive, one person was called back for additional testing, indicating a possibility that the person was a match for a patient.
“A lot of people think there are crazy big needles involved and is it a super scary Frankenstein process, but it’s not,” Phillips said. “All they had to do was get a q-tip and swab your mouth… This drive was so close to me and my family. The reason my dad is alive is because of a drive like mine in Oregon. Someone saved my dad’s life, and it’s cool that I can give that back.”
Phillips and her church group have traveled to Guatemala this past summer to build stoves in Mayan villages.
“These families would cook with open fires in their homes – a cinder block room,” Phillips said. “The women would stay in their house all day tending the fires; they would develop respiratory diseases and other health complications. Our group traveled there and built stoves with chimneys, so we created a safer environment in their homes. With this project, this made me realized that my work paid off. We made their lives easier, so they could do something as simple as breathing.”
Phillips has received the presidential volunteer service award three times in the past three years. After volunteering her time to others and organizations for the past 13 years, she believes that others should volunteer.
“You’re privileged enough to give back to your community,” Phillips said. “The work is usually really easy, fun, and you meet people and you are doing great things. You should keep your eyes out for volunteering opportunities.”
Phillips plans to go on a mission trip this summer to Chicago and hopes to plan another bone marrow drive on campus this year.