During the summer months, most people tend to benefit from slower work and school hours. Vacations are often planned, day trips taken, and there is an overall carefree attitude in the atmosphere. However, for me, most of my summer is anything but what most people would normally consider relaxing. This is because I choose to spend my summer months volunteering at an overnight camp for adults and children with intellectual and physical disabilities. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay When I tell most people how I choose to spend my free time during the summer months, they are initially shocked. The question I get the most is why I would want to spend all summer working for free. Many times volunteering is seen as a thankless job. However, after volunteering as a camp counselor for the past six summers, I can attest that this is certainly not the case. The first year I decided to volunteer I was only sixteen years old, fresh out of my second year of high school. . At first I had several reservations about enrolling in such a camp. I had never worked with a special needs population before, and frankly, I had no idea what to expect. Despite these reservations, I decided to step out of my comfort zone and write my name on the volunteer list. Fast forward several months later, we were now in the dog days of summer, and it was officially the day I was supposed to embark on my adventure as a volunteer camp counselor. Once I arrived at camp I was immediately greeted by several senior counselors on staff who wanted nothing more than to make me feel at home and comfortable. To this day I remember when one of the older counselors introduced himself to me and shared with me something that would become a key theme of my time at camp. I can't remember verbatim what he said to me, but it was this: “Nothing anyone says to you will fully prepare you for this week, but I know you'll be amazing. Trust us and yourself." After this, slowly but surely my initial fears began to fade away. Looking back on this day after all these years, I can confidently say that choosing to volunteer in this field was one of the best decisions I have ever made. My first year of volunteering was a huge learning experience. I watched closely as the older staff interacted with the campers, taking mental notes on what to do and what not to do. There were times when I felt lost and the difficult times were extremely hard. However, the good times were good and were some of the best times of my life. By the end of the summer I gained more confidence and felt more comfortable in my new role. I had learned that my initial fears of not being a good advisor to my group or not having fun couldn't have been further from the truth. Among other benefits, the biggest and most important lesson I learned from my first year at camp was that if you are not passionate about any aspect of what you are doing, whether it is volunteering in this particular camp or in any field of life, , that you simply will not get anything from this experience, and it would be better not to do it at all. Since my first year at camp, I have returned every summer. Volunteering has taught me that people with disabilities aren't all that different from those who function "typically." They only want ours.