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Palmetto High School junior Samantha Elkins volunteers to help others at Friendship Circle, the program that provides activities for individuals who have special needs. Teens pair up with the individuals to help them with the various activities provided by the program.
“They would have music activities, friendship circle band, we’d get ukuleles and play them with our friends and teach songs,” she says.
Initially she’d go on Wednesdays but this year she goes every other Sunday to the Tween Scene. Elkins says she and her friend rotate through activities from soccer to Zumba.
“We can do something hands on, like making things with yarn, painting or blocks,” she says. “We also sing. There is a person who plays a guitar, and we sit in a circle and there is some instruction, and we all sing together.”
She decided to switch to the Sunday activities because she wanted to try something new this year.
“Sunday is one of their more popular days,” she says. “.I’ve made more friends. They try to keep you with the same friend, they open up to you more each time, they get more comfortable each time they see you.”
Elkins is already a compassionate person, but she’s working on learning to become even more selfless. Volunteering at Friendship Circle helps her toward that goal.
“Different people struggle with different things,” she says. “It’s eye opening to have people overcome those struggles and learning more about yourself. It teaches you a lot about how to be there for others no matter who you are.”
She says she leaves there feeling content. She always looks forward to seeing her friend again.
“You really are friends with them,” she says. “They encompass what a good friend should be. If they are happy, it makes you happy.”
Along with Friendship Circle, she is a member of the group Better Together at Temple Judea.
“It’s an intergenerational program that connects you with the older congregants,” she says.
“This is my second year. We meet over Zoom and discuss Jewish centric topics such as how different generations celebrate their holidays. A lot of lessons are told and taught by the older congregants. A lot of them aren’t attending their services in person so just being able to talk to someone is really nice.”
Before Winter Break, they did get to meet with some of the seniors in person. They set up tables outside and played a card game with Jewish centered questions.
“We got to know each other a little better in person,” she says. “I’ve learned, everyone has a different relationship with their religion and each relationship is meaningful in their own way. Everyone is connected, no matter the generation and the age gap.”
She’s also a member of CTeen, Temple Judea’s youth group.
At Palmetto, she’s vice president of Amnesty International. Club members get together to write letters advocating human rights issues or they gather signatures for petitions.
She’s a member of the English Honor Society, the National Honor Society, a public relations manager for Student Council and a member of the Class of ’22 cabinet.
Elkins is the news section editor for the school paper and the vice president of the Newspaper Club. As section editor, she oversees the news section and makes sure they are reporting newsworthy stories.
With her senior year approaching, she’s turning her attention to college applications. Visits to colleges have started. She’s also considering majors.
“I am interested in journalism and writing and maybe public policy,” she says. “I do find a lot of happiness in writing.”
Linda Rodriguez Bernfeld
