When you ask most teenagers what they’re doing over the holidays, they’ll usually say something like ‘hanging out with friends’ or ‘sleeping’. For sophomore Karleigh Derleth, that’s not the case.
    Over winter break Derleth and her family will be volunteering in the Noblesville community through the Good Samaritan organization. Volunteering over the holidays is a family tradition that she is proud to be a part of. Through the organization, Derleth is able to help out people who are hungry and can’t afford food. She does this by serving food and even sitting down with people to talk about their life experiences or families.
    “We have made a huge difference since 1980. In 1980 [we served] 397 families and in 2015 we served 27,978 families,” Nancy Chance, executive director and founder of the Good Samaritan Network, said.
    Derleth currently just volunteers over the holidays, but she wants to eventually help out on a regular basis.
    “When I’m old enough, I want to eventually be able to deliver the food to the families who can’t make it to where we’re set up.” Derleth said.
    In Derleth’s opinion, her favorite part of volunteering is when she’s in the group that works with what they call ‘hospitality’, which is where she gets to go and talk to the people who come in for help.
    “I was talking to this one family. It was a single mom and a little boy. . . The mom was telling me there were some days that she would go without food so her son could eat.”
    It’s not out of character for Derleth to participate in Volunteering. Many students who know her agree that her selfless, helpful actions carry into the school environment as well.
    “The reason she likes volunteering is probably because she’s very caring and just naturally puts others before herself,” sophomore Josh Farmer said.
    All of the Volunteering that Derleth has done has taken place in Noblesville, but she thinks it would be an interesting opportunity to help out in other communities if she gets the chance.
    “Give it a try, just [once] ‘cause you’ll probably get hooked on the feeling you get helping people . . . The feeling you get will make you want to come back and do it more,” Derleth said.