Chitra, an Anglia Ruskin student and an active volunteer, talks about her experiences volunteering and her joy at winning a prize for her efforts from Cambridge Live Trust.

Chitra volunteered as a bucket collector at the recent Bonfire Night event on Midsummer Common, an event organised by Cambridge Live Trust and Cambridge City Council. By collecting donations, Chitra was a great help to Cambridge Live Trust as the event relies on voluntary donations from the public. After the event, Chitra was delighted to find that she had won two free tickets to a Cambridge Live Trust play because she had collected the most donations!

Chitra describes her experiences below:

"I am an international student from India and every moment in Cambridge is my first experience.  I had a great evening volunteering for Cambridge Live, meeting and talking to numerous people watching the wonderful Fireworks Display in the drizzle, making new ties with other volunteers and enjoying the free burger sponsored by the organizers (my first experience of trying a bacon and cheese burger - utterly delicious after a long day of hard work).

I never expected this reward. However, when I got the email, my happiness had no bounds. Although I had known about the prize and had heard some volunteers talking about how much they anticipated the prize, I was not at all concerned about it. It is not the reward that I got, it is the realization that I had been a great volunteer that gives me immense pleasure. 

I believe that my volunteering services would bring joy to others and improve the quality of life of people in the society. Acts of random kindness to bring smiles to many and desire to make this world a better place are always my priorities. Because we become humans when we live for others and help them to develop along with us."  

Congratulations on your prize Chitra! It brings us a lot of joy to see our students helping in the local community!

If you are interested in volunteering at an event like this, have a look at our One Off Events and sign up!

Photo credit: River Cam via photopin (license)