Today we’d like to introduce you to Haneen Amarneh and Julie Carver.
So, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I started SEM Volunteering Club during my sophomore year at Townview Science and Engineering Magnet. I saw that the community needed help so I decided to do something about it. I wanted to create a platform with which students would be exposed to a wider range of volunteer opportunities and ways to positively impact their community.
By creating this club, students not only have the ability to communicate with their peers and pitch ideas for how they would be interested in helping out their community but also to volunteer together. Over the past year, I have gathered over 80 members who participate in meetings, service projects and come out to community service events. In creating this club, I found that banding students together to strive for a common goal serves as one of the best ways to help the local community as well as inspire global outreach and cooperation.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
There were definitely lots of struggles along the way. At times, it gets difficult and stressful to run a club/organization on my own while also juggling the pressures of high school. However, I was motivated by my cause to dedicate more time and effort towards this club. This inspired me to work harder in school and get assignments done quicker in order to have the time to organize events and service projects.
Another struggle I faced was feeling like I wasn’t doing enough. There were some periods of time where students were asking lots of questions for how to get involved, how to help out, asking me to sign them up for events, etc. This quickly became overwhelming and a lot to juggle, especially within a competitive school environment. However, I knew that if I put my mind to it, I could overcome those obstacles and work towards my goal of making the community a better place.
Please tell us about SEM Volunteering Club.
SEM Volunteering Club works at local community service events, such as a nonprofit organization like the Trains at NorthPark. Different nonprofits appeal to certain groups of students because of people they know/people around them, so I try to provide the students with the most variety possible. In addition, SEM Volunteering Club has organized holiday service projects like holiday cards and Easter baskets for the patients at Scottish Rite Hospital and Children’s Hospital in Dallas.
Working on these service projects together, I see students bonding over a shared appeal to a cause/organization, and this further drives their motivation to help out. At the end of each semester, I look back and see how proud I really am of all the work myself and the students have done, through the number of service projects and events we’ve participated in. No matter how small our impact, it brings a smile to my face knowing I could bring some happiness into someone else’s life when they need it.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
If I had to start over, I might have asked more students to help me fund my organization. However, working on setting up SEM Volunteering Club has taught me valuable lessons of responsibility, trust, communication skills, etc. I don’t think I would have had the same drive to continue if I didn’t constantly push myself to be better.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1201 E 8th St Ste 216, Dallas, TX 75203
- Phone: 4695202379
- Email: semvolunteeringclub@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/semvolunteeringclub/
Suggest a story: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
