Ripples

by Jenna Lykes, Corps Member serving on the CSX Civic Heroes Team

"Few will have the greatness to bend history; but each of us can work to change a small portion of these events, and in the total of all these acts will be written the history of this generation. . . .It is from numberless diverse acts of courage . . . [and] ... belief that human history is shaped. Each time a person stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance."

- Robert F. Kennedy, Day of Affirmation Address

University of Capetown
Capetown, South Africa
June 6, 1966

Every morning, in our first circles, we have the opportunity to share either a "joy" or a "ripple" with our team. A "joy" is simply something that made you happy, while a "ripple" is an example of an action or service that has reached other people.

I had an awesome ripple recently. We painted college logos at Hart Middle School on December 4th for our service day. I spent some time there touching up and finishing murals. I was working on the Harvard University mural during the school day when a student came up and poked me. She thanked me for painting Harvard, her future school, on the wall. She told me all about her career plans and the books she was reading outside of class. It is always a wonderful reminder that the ripples we send forth day after day are helping to build a wave of change.

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