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“We have one main purpose in life and that is to help others. I have found that through helping others, we can help ourselves along the way.”– Josh Kaine, Cincinnati, Ohio
Action Team Captain: Josh Kaine School: Elder High School, Cincinnati Grade: Senior You make a difference in your community when you get involved as a volunteer. And volunteering can benefit you! Find out how from Cincinnati Action Team Captain Josh Kaine. Like all captains of the Players Trust and Volunteers of America Action Team, Josh recruits other teens to participate in service projects at school and in the community. Supporting the Cincinnati Action Team are Major League baseball players Josh Fogg, Javier Valentin, and David Weathers of the Cincinnati Reds. I volunteer because … I want to give back to the community. We have one main purpose in life and that is to help others. And I have found that through helping others, we can help ourselves along the way. I joined the Action Team because … The Action Team brings a new perspective to volunteering. It’s not every day that teens get a chance to work with Major League baseball players. The Action Team enables that. Action Team members get the experience of volunteering in association with Major Leaguers and a chance to help people. What inspires me about the Major League baseball players who support our Action Team … I am inspired by the fact that people of such fame and recognition are taking the time to make a difference. By taking action, they help to inspire a sense of service in the community. How volunteering with the Action Team benefits me … Volunteering in general gives me cause for satisfaction. As I work on projects, I have a chance to see changes taking place and differences being made. Especially as the Action Team nears the end of an event or project, I get a sense of pride in knowing that I am making a difference in the lives of others. How I benefit my community as an Action Team Captain and volunteer … Where I live and go to school isn’t the nicest area in town. Through our work, especially an upcoming project involving the improvement of a cul-de-sac, I hope to encourage the residents to work together to build a better neighborhood. The project will get everyone on the street involved, which helps promote that sense of community. Furthermore, people benefit from seeing teens taking an interest in their hometown and acting in the community’s interests. As an Action Team Captain, what I tell other teens to encourage them to volunteer …The number one thing I tell other teens about volunteering is that it is more than lending a helping hand. Volunteering is about people. For every volunteer project there are countless people who benefit in some way. Serving dinner at a soup kitchen isn’t about the food; it’s about giving the people a break from their normal lives, offering a friendly face and a little conversation. If teens take an interest in the people they are serving, they will get ten times as much out of the experience than if they participate dispassionately. My favorite volunteer activity … [It] has always been working in soup kitchens. I enjoy getting the chance to talk to strangers who are having a difficult time in life and to offer some friendly conversation to brighten their days just a little. Seeing them leave with a smile and a full stomach gives me a feeling of satisfaction like nothing else. My volunteer goals for this school year … It is my intent to help as many people as possible while getting as many teens involved as I can. The most specific goal is the cul-de-sac project that will take place near our school. This project will benefit our school community, the neighborhood, and everyone involved. What’s in my iPod … You will find anything and everything on my iPod. Ranging from classical to rock and oldies to musicals, I listen to just about everything. My personal favorites are Phil Collins, O.A.R. and Trans-Siberian Orchestra. My favorite baseball player … I don’t have a favorite player per se, but after hearing about what the players who support the Action Team – Josh Fogg, Javier Valentin, and David Weathers – do to give back, I have a new appreciation for those players.
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