"The best Christmas I've ever had."

These were the words that an 8 year old boy said to me over and over again on Saturday morning. For the past 6 years I have participated in the rewarding Shop With A insert your mascot here. The program began at my high school, called Shop With A Mustang (SWAM). Each year we raised over $35,000 by walking around the lunch room asking students for loose change. Over $35,000 raised in a high school lunch room. It still blows my mind.
Three years ago, my good friend brought the program, Shop With A Bulldawg, to the University of Georgia as a freshman. The first year there were 80 mentors participating, last year 200 participated and this year 400 mentors showed up at 7:30am on Saturday morning to participate in SWAB. As I looked around at the event, I was astounded to see the amount of people there with the sole intention of helping those less fortunate than them.
I mentored Julian, a hyper 8-year-old boy. As we walked through the isles of Target picking up a football, Julian said it: "this will be the best Christmas I've ever had." I was so excited that we were getting things that he wanted and that would make him happy. We were buying him a football, something so simple that I would just see as a disposable toy. To Julian though, the football signified so much more. When we got back from Target to wrap his gifts, he pulled out the football to show his mom. He exclaimed, "Look at this! Marcus will love it!"I turned to Julian and asked who Marcus was. He told me that it was his older brother and that Marcus loves to play football even more than he does.
Here I am thinking we're shopping for Julian, when Julian has his mind on others and not himself. It was the perfect reminder that material things will not make us happy. It forced me to think of the multiple times that I walk by the volunteers seeking donations for The Salvation Army outside of stores. What is $1 or some loose change? It will not change my bank account or make me starve for dinner. It's just a $1, yet it could help someone else more than I can imagine. Julian was thinking of others and what he could give to them, which is what we all need to keep in mind, especially during the holiday season. It is so easy to get swept into the hustle and bustle of the holidays, but it is the most important time to give back and help others. There are so many opportunities to donate money, time, and effort to others and it can be so simple. So why do we act like it is the biggest inconvenience when do volunteer? Just something to keep in mind the next time you see someone ringing a bell standing next to a red donation bucket.