One of the simplest ways I feel good about myself is through serving others. As a faith-based person, it has been my pleasure to minister to residents at the assisted living center monthly for years. Meeting residents near the end of their lives and assisting with their spiritual needs gives me a sense of purpose. Every month we did not know if it would be our last chance to make an eternal difference to a soul. On the other end of life's spectrum was serving as a youth leader at Vacation Bible School every summer and assisting with the preschool children Sunday School. In addition, serving at our local Food Resource Center and at the soup kitchen gave me a chance to help those less fortunate in our community. It is easy to feel sorry for ourselves, but the level of need witnessed in these activities gives one a reality check and forces one to count their blessings. For several years we took care of the bathrooms and picked up the grounds at the annual three-day rodeo in town. Honestly, it was messy and awful, but I learned sometimes exhibiting a servant's heart is not glamorous or fun. My family are members of the Park County Pioneer Society where for many years, I have seated and served the attendees at the annual dinner. I recently volunteered at a local veterinary clinic where I assisted with surgeries, vaccinations, and animal care. This clinic was hard hit by the Yellowstone River's flood of a century last spring and was left with quite a mess. I helped with general tidying and picking up. These experiences gave a tangible way to give back to a generous and supportive community. In school, I am a member of National Honor Society, where I have regularly participated in the peer tutoring program helping underclassmen after school with their studies. This reminded me that I could contribute favorably to another's education even if the subject matter were not my strength. It bolstered my self-confidence. We also sent thank you notes to local first responders, firefighters, and police officers. This year, as in years past, the group voted to give Valentines to community rest home residents. Very few members assisted with the project. However, it reflected poorly on our school, group, and myself to leave this obligation undone so I made Valentines by myself and spent $143 of my own money to ensure this group service project was fulfilled as promised to the hundred residents. I also delivered them all. My thought was if you say you are going to do something then do it. These gestures were so appreciated and reinforced how insignificant things can be valuable to others. The words "thank you" can never be uttered enough. Our new community service project is sponsoring a fun run for kids of all ages in a few weeks. This will be a terrific way to bring the community together in a fun and healthy manner. I have a visual disability, and one of the things used to bridge the gap with my visual insufficiency was music. I learned how to play the flute and participated in Park High Pep Band for a year and a half. I played at nearly every home ball game and was selected to play at district and state tournaments. Not only did the band buoy up the ball teams but we encouraged the community to become involved. I have been an active 4-H member for ten years. Due to my work in the animal projects, I am called upon to regularly assist younger members with multiple species showmanship and animal care clinics. Through 4-H, every year we served a St. Paddy's Day dinner, cleaned up the roadsides in two communities, spruced up a picnic ground and an out of the way cemetery. We went Christmas caroling annually, set up the fairgrounds for fair and encouraged residents at the Frontier Assisted Living Center. 4-H teaches many lessons and gives one many opportunities to enhance one's community. Our family, with the help of an employee, is building a cheese plant to process local dairy products. It will give us a stable market for our milk while minimizing transportation costs of the raw product. We intend to partner with a local business such as Producers Partnership, a group of local cattle owners who provide free meat to local food banks. This would allow us to use any excess production to provide products to the under-privileged and give back to our community. Through these varied activities, I have a proven record of accomplishment of community service. I intend to continue to serve as an adult by being fully engaged in my community, church, and family as I contribute to the well-being of others. Thank you for supporting our communities and those that pursue serving others. I appreciate the opportunity to apply and would be a most grateful recipient. Respectfully, Mariah Creason