Humanitarian Sponsorship Honors Weber State Student

The rewards of service to others can come in more ways than one.

Volunteering can not only give someone a feeling of joy and satisfaction, but also lead to a bigger opportunity for personal growth as well.

As my mother, Jane Mcbride, and I were driving to my Vocational Rehabilitation appointment, she read a letter to me.   That letter was from an humanitarian organization called Youthlinc, which has its headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah. 

The letter that my mother read to me was an official letter of acceptance.  I finally got accepted to serve with Youthlinc after working hard on the application process.   A new door finally opened in my ordinary life. 

My acceptance into the organization comes with two huge benefits.  I will be sponsored by Rotary International, an organization dedicated to local community service and worldwide humanitarian service.  I will also be working with several other qualified college students in a service trip to Guatemala by next summer.

However, those benefits must be earned through hard work.   As part of my commitment to the Guatemala team, I need to work for and sign off on 60 service hours.  I must volunteer for half of those hours at one place.  I decided to volunteer at the Carmen B. Pingree School for Autistic Children in Salt Lake City as a possibility.  However, I must be open to other opportunities that help me make a difference in my community.

As I have grown up with autism in my life, I wanted to inspire other autistic kids.  I will help them understand that a good desire combined with hard work, no matter who they are, helps them to be successful.

I hope that my dedication to local community service will deeply inspire those who are struggling to overcome odds like autism.  It will help them see that there's a bigger world full of people who work together for a greater cause.

The official letter that Weber State student Austen Snow received
from Youthlinc on Wednesday Nov. 2, 2011 in Utah.  Snow was accepted into
Youthlinc after he demonstrated exceptional community service
with autism research and Special Olympics.  (Photo/Austen Snow)

Weber State student Austen Snow wrote this rough draft
of a fundraiser letter at his Kaysville, Utah home on Saturday Nov. 5, 2011.
Snow hoped his life story in dealing with autism would help many people and
he would gain support for his trip as well.  (Photo/Austen Snow)

The listing of team positions for the Youthlinc 2012 Guatemala team at Austen Snow's home in Kaysville, Utah, Saturday Nov. 5, 2011.  Along with his many Youthlinc letters, Snow will decide on a position with the 2012 Guatemala
team, which includes team photographers and bloggers.  (Photo/Austen Snow)

A "Get to Know You" Survey that was printed off by Weber State student
Austen Snow at his Kaysville, Utah home, Saturday Nov. 5, 2011. 
This survey was e-mailed to Snow and the rest of the 2012 Guatemala team to help the members get to know one another.
(Photo/Austen Snow)

Youthlinc