From The Intern Desk …

Ed Note: This week’s entry was written by Kevin, a Virgina Tech pre-med student lending his time and talent to the St. Anthony Free Medical Clinic and Dining Room this summer:

“Have a good day, Sir” I exclaimed to one of the guests as I took his empty tray.

“Oh, I will…now that I have eaten a meal,” he replied proudly as he left. I smiled and turned away, shocked at his nonchalant statement. I continued and finished my shift in the Dining Room, yet his words have remained in my mind still to this day.

Coming to St. Anthony’s, I hoped I would have a huge impact on the homeless population and would make a visible change. I was planning on bringing health reform and implementing social change for the better. All of these wild ideas that sounded marvelous, now seem farfetched and even naïve of me to believe I could do single-handedly.

It didn’t take me long to realize that what I would be doing and what needs to be done isn’t about the enormity of its impact.  In fact, I have realized that anybody, as evident by our veteran volunteers in the Dining Room and newbies like myself, can have an impact by something as little as donating some time for others.

Simply doing things like taking the time to ask how someone is doing, smiling at someone, and remembering someone’s name can have a dramatic impact on someone’s day. I use to believe that the only way to make a difference was to enact sweeping changes. Now, however, I believe that each and every one of us can do so many simple acts that can spark tremendous positivity to help make a difference.