When Volunteerism Hits Home

By Gabriela Garcia, Virginia Eighth Grader

Last Saturday, for the second year in a row, my mom and I set up a fundraising booth for Polycystic Kidney Disease in our nearby Office Depot. Polycystic Kidney Disease (also known as PKD) is a devastating disease that affects your kidneys and causes them to grow fluid filled cysts. The kidneys eventually grow up to the size of a football, when normal kidneys are only the size of a fist. More than 600,000 Americans suffer from this disease - more than multiple sclerosis and Down syndrome combined. Once your kidneys can function at only 10 percent of the normal level, you need a kidney transplant or dialysis.

My mom and I know a lot about this disease because my dad has it and, thankfully, he got a kidney transplant last summer. He has been doing fine since.

While we were giving out brochures and other information about the disease, we were amazed to see Colin Powell, the founder of America’s Promise and former Secretary of State, enter the store. My mom followed him with stars in her eyes and asked if he could take a picture with me. It was ironic because in Mr. McElveen’s eighth grade English class last week, we read a speech about volunteerism by Colin Powell. His speech explained how volunteerism can better shape America and can help someone who needs us in their lives. I got a picture taken with him and he thanked me for doing such a good thing. In this case for me, volunteerism is a way to help the lives of people like my dad suffering from this little-known but devastating disease.