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Using your special talent to help others in society
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EVERYONE has unique talents. We all know this. It’s common knowledge. But for some reason, community service options are often geared towards people who have a special talent with people or a special talent for humble service. Think about it.
The classic examples of community service — serving dinner at a homeless shelter, teaching disadvantaged kids English, or volunteering at a elderly home — are tailor made for those with special talents for people and humble service. Why can’t people with other talents use those to serve as well?
Eight high school art students at SCIS Pudong asked that question. Why can’t we use our special talent as artists to give back? That question led to a connection to Ben Schumaker, founder and director of The Memory Project, a non-profit with a simple mission: to gift orphaned, neglected, and disadvantaged kids a high quality portrait of themselves. This is powerful because according to Schumaker, “Kids in such situations tend to have few personal keepsakes, we’re aiming to provide them with special memories that capture a piece of their childhood.” He goes on to say that this also helps with their self-esteem as it helps kids “see themselves as works of art.”
Excited about being able to use their gift, the art students spent their personal community service time painting portraits from photographs of kids in Nicaragua. They just recently learned they were delivered, as photos of beaming kids holding their portraits started pouring into their inboxes.
As heartwarming as it is, I think the greater lesson is there’s always a way to use your special talent to give back.
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