Autumn, a season of thankfulness and giving, is when many Americans settle down to celebrate Thanksgiving and donate for the upcoming winter. Most of these acts come from volunteering at organizations that help those in need. In Loudoun County, the opportunities are endless for teenagers looking to help. There are clubs, such as Key Club, that help those in need throughout the year and provide a fantastic community for students to join within the school environment and solo volunteer work with different organizations around the area.

Volunteering has continued throughout the generations and is a large part of human culture today. One of the largest volunteer organizations worldwide is Girl Scouts. Beth Wise is the Girl Scout Service Unit Manager in Loudoun County and helps run all the donation drives. Girl Scouts in the area “Conduct service projects like cleaning up national parks and collecting food for food banks,” Mrs. Wise said.

High Schoolers can contribute the most to these organizations by spreading the word through social media and getting groups of friends together to donate. However, many students do not recognize this opportunity. Anna Guo, a student at Briar Woods, expressed that when asked how many organizations she had heard of, “I’ve only heard of one or two at most,” Guo said. Many of the possible issues with volunteering revolve around schoolwork and transportation, “Monday through Friday, I can’t drive myself, and on Saturday, I have work,” said Guo. However, to deal with these issues, Briar Woods offers many opportunities within the school atmosphere through clubs.

Key Club is a well-known club at Briar Woods High School that helps organize and run volunteer events throughout Loudoun County. Anika Mahuli is the Vice President of Key Club and states, “Key Club is a fantastic way to get volunteer hours, and makes sure that those hours are authenticated.” This club meets on Wednesday mornings and discusses “New opportunities and what the club is really about.” Said Anika. Key Club is a fantastic opportunity for students who cannot dedicate themselves to time outside of school and are looking for something stress-free and helpful to the community.