Why Young People Are Choosing to Serve — and Why It Matters

This summer, four young volunteers at the Real Life Center shared why they give their time — and what they’ve gained in return.

What does a high schooler do with a free summer? For four remarkable young people, the answer was simple: they showed up at the Real Life Center, rolled up their sleeves, and got to work.

From stocking shelves and packing emergency food bags to loading cars and walking clients through the market, these student volunteers represent the next generation of community servants. Their stories are different, but their hearts point in the same direction — toward their neighbors.

Ava, a rising 11th grader, first volunteered at the Real Life Center a few years ago alongside her mom. Life got busy, as it often does, but when the summer opened up, Ava came back — this time on her own.

“I really like doing it with my mom. It was really fun, and just talking to people and helping them out — I loved it,” she said. “I wanted to volunteer again and I needed to find a place to start.”

What keeps her coming back is simple but powerful: the feeling that she made a difference. “Just the feeling I helped people out, and made a difference, and impacted people — I love that.”

One moment in particular caught her attention. She watched a woman named Judy praying with clients at the end of a shift. “I really liked that,” Ava said. “So I’m trying to do that with everyone else.”

Her advice to other young people? “It’s good if more young people did it [volunteered], ‘cause it’s really nice.”

Ben, a rising 9th grader, found his way to the Real Life Center through an unexpected friendship. At Dogwood Church, Ben happened to sit next to an older gentleman named George, and the two struck up a conversation. When George invited Ben to volunteer for the summer, Ben’s answer was easy: “Yeah, sure, why not? It’d be fun.”

Four weeks in, Ben is glad he said yes. His main role has been loading cars, and he’s discovered that the work is about far more than groceries.

“I really like that, ‘cause I get to connect to the people,” he said.

His favorite moment? A sweet older woman who seeks him out every single week. “She just came up to me and hugged me every time, right before I loaded her car. And she’s always so sweet to me.”

When asked what he’d say to other high schoolers considering volunteering, Ben didn’t hesitate. “I’d say you probably should do this. It’s good personal experience.  You get to have face-to-face conversations, and you’re doing it for a good cause. It makes you happy that you’re helping others.”

Eliza came to the Real Life Center through a different path. A recent college graduate entering a graduate program in psychology this fall, Eliza minored in human sciences and sociology, and wanted to put her education into practice in a meaningful way. She found the Real Life Center through her own online research.

“I started getting interested in serving community needs,” she said. “I wanted to work hands-on somewhere.”

What she found here has reinforced everything she’s been learning in school. As a stock person and shopping assistant in the market, Eliza has been struck by the quality of the relationships at RLC — between volunteers, staff, and clients alike.

“I’ve observed a lot of patience,” she reflected. “I just feel like that’s the perfect word for volunteers here — and the clients being patient with us. We really do thrive on listening to each other. Nobody’s gonna rush you through a conversation, nobody’s gonna rush you out the door. We’re all here to love each other.”

For someone headed into a career focused on the well-being of others, this environment has been formative. “Absolutely, without a doubt, I would recommend it to someone else,” she said.

If there’s one volunteer who embodies the idea that serving becomes a habit, it’s Parker. A high schooler entering his fourth consecutive summer at the Real Life Center, Parker has done it all — stocking shelves, shopping with clients, loading cars.

“It’s a really easy way to serve,” he said. “And it’s our local community, which makes it extra special.”

Over four years of showing up, Parker has seen a lot. But one moment will stay with him. While shopping with a client one day, the woman shared that she was homeless and desperately needed a house. Parker prayed with her at the end of her visit — the way volunteers do after every shopping trip at RLC.

A week later, she called the Center asking for him. She had found a house.

“I had a part in that,” he said quietly. “That was really cool.”

For anyone wondering whether volunteering is worth their time, Parker offers the most honest advice of all: “I think I’d say the hardest part is getting started. But once you get into it, it’s really easy and very rewarding.”

The Real Life Center exists to show neighbors the love of Christ by providing necessities for stable living — food, financial assistance, job support, life-skills education, and spiritual encouragement. Located in Tyrone, Georgia, RLC serves families in Coweta and Fayette counties who are walking through some of life’s hardest seasons.

But ask these four young volunteers, and they’ll tell you: the Real Life Center gives back just as much as it receives. The connections made here, the prayers shared, the hugs exchanged in a parking lot, these are the moments that shape a person.

Whether you’re in 9th grade or heading to graduate school, there is a place for you here.

To learn more about volunteering at the Real Life Center, contact Matt Lowe at mlowe@reallifecenter.org or explore our website.