May 6, 2004

Volunteer of the Week: Ian Chang

Ian Chang is a senior at Leland High School. He is also an active Boy Scout who says community service was a quality instilled in him at a young age.

“I like doing community service. I like helping out disadvantaged people. I’ve always been like that I guess,” says Chang.

An Almaden resident all of his life, Chang has volunteered with many organizations. The many activities the Boy Scouts participate in have given Chang an undeniable sense of humility. He has volunteered at the Fremont School for the Blind, he has volunteered at Second Harvest Food Bank, and the latest effort has been with Sacred Heart Community Service in San Jose, helping disadvantaged families and individuals.

Chang has been busy during his senior year in high school, filling out college applications, playing on the lacrosse team and trying to keep his grades up. He has a 3.5 GPA and is going to University of California Santa Barbara in the fall.

Over the holidays at the Sacred Heart Community Center, Chang helped the homeless checking out blankets and clothes, and also helps in the pantry, serving food, volunteering about 60 hours.

“I’ve been pretty busy with my senior year and trying to get into college,” said Chang. But he still finds time to help others. “I love volunteering,” he says, “I have a lot of compassion for people in need.”

Chang, who wants to major in Bioengineering at UCSB has lofty goals, saying, “I want to cure diseases.” He says he plans to get involved in student government and other extracurricular activities during college. “I want to volunteer for a long time. It’s really satisfying and helping people is something I’ve enjoyed since I was little, being in the Boy Scouts and everything,” says Chang.

Sacred Heart Community Service (SHCS) basically revolves around volunteers like Chang, according to Director of Volunteer Services Jim Somers. “Volunteers are a huge part of our program. They’re fabulous, without the number of hours they volunteer, we wouldn’t be able to do the work we are doing,” says Somers. “The volunteers are the front line in providing services.”

SHCS’s mission is to change lives and impact poverty by providing essential services and offering tools for self-sufficiency, engaging the community and inspiring volunteers to love, serve and share. Visit www.shcstheheart.org. to find out more about Sacred Heart.

—By Miranda Schultz