My Journey

My journey in community service began when I decided to transform my pressure washing business into a way to contribute to my community. At first, my sole motivation was to accumulate enough hours to earn the gold community service award at my school. However, I soon discovered the profound fulfillment that comes from helping others and the meaningful impact I could create.

I started by going door to door, offering free pressure-washing services. After numerous rejections, I finally found my first client: Holly, an older woman who lived nearby. She agreed to let me clean her driveway and walkway, and I was thrilled to have someone accept my offer.

On the scheduled day, my pressure washer unexpectedly broke. Embarrassed, I explained the situation to Holly, who was understanding and suggested I help by weeding and mulching her flower garden instead. I gladly took on the task and worked hard to make her garden look beautiful. When Holly expressed how pleased she was with the transformation, I felt a deep sense of accomplishment and pride. I promised to return the following week with a new pressure washer to complete the original job.

After purchasing a replacement pressure washer, I returned to Holly’s house. Unfortunately, this machine didn’t have the power to clean her driveway properly. Again, I had to explain the situation, and Holly kindly redirected me to another task—clearing overgrown vines in her backyard. Once more, I completed the work to her satisfaction and felt a rewarding sense of purpose. For the first time, hard work didn’t feel like a burden because I knew I was making a difference for someone who couldn’t do the work themselves.

Determined to fulfill my original promise, I invested in a high-quality BE Honda pressure washer with 3800 PSI and 3.5 GMP. It was an expensive purchase, funded by my business earnings and stock market profits, but it was worth it. With the new equipment, I returned to Holly’s property and finally cleaned her driveway and walkway thoroughly. She was thrilled with the results, and her gratitude made me feel proud of my efforts.

After pressure washing her property Holly had me do various yard work jobs around her house and she also began to refer me to some of her friends. I completed work for two of her friends Chris and Diana. From Chris, I was able to do work for her neighbor Fred and her brother. Fred then referred me to his neighbor Mrs. Nestler. Mrs. Nestler then referred me to her son-in-law. These referrals was where most of my community service work came from and taught me a valuable lesson about the power of word of mouth.

What began as a goal to earn an award evolved into a deeply enriching experience that shaped my character and values. Over the course of 125 hours of community service, I learned the importance of resilience, compassion, and the power of perseverance. The joy of seeing the positive impact of my work—like Holly’s smile after completing her garden—was far more meaningful than any accolade. This journey reinforced my belief in the ripple effect of kindness and the value of giving back to those in need. I am proud of not only the physical transformations I accomplished but also the relationships I built and the lessons I learned along the way.

Below I included some before and after pictures of the various work I completed: