Volunteering and participating in service projects are two of the most rewarding activities in my opinion. Some people may find it complicated or do it only because they need to meet minimum requirements for school or work. Helping others, for me, has always been second nature to me. Over many years of volunteering, I believe I have developed qualities that will stay with me throughout my life and will be useful to me in my career. By freshman year of high school, I found myself looking for ways to give back. I started by looking for opportunities within the school, where I came across the A+ tutoring program, and that's how my journey of giving back began. During tutoring, my patience with others really evolved, partly by choice and partly because it had to. I was always looking for community programs to participate in that could help me grow as a person and at the same time raise awareness about important issues. I think overall one of the biggest lessons I learned from being a part of these groups was to try to make yourself and your community a better environment for your peers. After high school, I always volunteered with a local group that mentored and mentored inner-city schools, but it was not until recently that I discovered a major problem requiring immediate service in our community. The heroin epidemic. “Heroin is an opioid drug synthesized from morphine, a natural substance extracted from the pod of the Asian opium poppy plant.” (Heroin) This deadly drug has been around since the 1850s; it was a cause of death then and it will be again now. Heroin use is increasing due to its cheap, easy and pure nature. In the past year alone, I have personally known three people who died due to...... middle of article....... (Lehman)Bibliography"Curiosity + Heroine : Not even once - By the way." Curiosity + Heroine: Not even once - By the way. Np, and Web. March 12, 2014. “Heroin Facts and Statistics.” Suburban junky. Np, 2011. Web “Heroine”. National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). Np, and Web. March 12, 2014. “International Statistics on Heroin Dependence and Abuse, High School Students and Youth: Foundation for a Drug-Free World.” » International statistics on heroin dependence and abuse, high school students and young people: Foundation for a Drug-Free World. Np, and Web. March 12, 2014. Lehman, Carol M. and Deborah Daniel DuFrene. BCOM. Mason, OH: South-Western, 2013. Print. “Trying Heroin Once, Addiction, Abuse, and Experimentation: Foundation for a Drug-Free World.” » Try heroin once, addiction, abuse and experimentation: Foundation for a drug-free world. NP, 2006. Web. March 11. 2014.