To anyone who has ever volunteered… I think we can all agree that signing up for a few hours or travelling across the world, your mission is to help those less fortunate than you be it financially, health wise etc… I had the opportunity to travel to the Dominican Republic volunteering at an orphanage and school. It’s incredible the love and happiness individuals exude each and everyday having so little. I am forever blessed to have been able to meet these two little girls at a local public school. They are so beautiful and were so happy each day I saw them. I signed up for this trip thinking I was going to make the biggest difference I could on someone else’s life. But in reality, the impact these girls along withy many others made on me far exceeds the impact I could have made on them. They taught me that materialistic things aren’t what bring happiness. It’s those around you.

On Thursday it was my last class with the kids from West View. It was heartbreaking to leave them, and especially seeing the look of sadness (some even cried) from seeing them for the last time. Even though I was sad to leave them too, it was satisfying leaving knowing I impacted some of their lives enough for them to be upset that they no longer will see me every week. I hope to continue to see the positive impacts I’ve made on children’s lives through out the program. That’s the biggest reward of all.

I am cool uncle Jay. I’m very grateful to be an uncle at such a young age. Thanks to my sisters @kristincanart and @berardr I have 2 nieces, 1 nephew and 1 unknown on it’s way! I love kids, I love acting out characters with them in their imaginary worlds and I love making them laugh and smile. I feel like I still am a kid deep down. But I guess the coolest part about being an uncle is that I have the opportunity to have an incredible impact in these kids lives. Knowing their mom and dads, I know that the potential for every one of their kids is limitless. So although I don’t have a direct responsibility in raising them, I have an amazing opportunity to lead by example and be a figure of inspiration for them regardless of what my future holds. Such a great form of “pressure” that drives me to be better every day. I am cool uncle Jay.