I've been into volunteer work since childhood. As a girl, I volunteered at animal shelters, played music at nursing homes, and helped with community cleanup. In college, I volunteered heavily at a large yearly conference (会议), where I first met and fell in love with my husband Tom, who was on my team of co-volunteers.

Volunteering has been a way of life for me and I wouldn't do it if I didn't enjoy it. Most of the time, you do feel that you're making a difference. Once I led a project that provided food to Syrian families. When it was nearing Ramadan, the biggest holiday season in Islam, I filled the food package with nuts, olive oil, sweets. . . We took the package and arrived just as a Syrian family was sitting on their floor for breakfast. They had nothing but some bread and a pot of tea. The mother cried when seeing us, saying she would never forget our kindness gratefully.

Another time, some friends and I volunteered to a church with only a few elderly residents. The churchyard needed attention. We spent the weekend in the home of one of these old ladies so we could clean and repair the churchyard. I'll never forget the new life in her eyes as she stayed with us. It broke my heart to remember this old lady with pleasure for such small efforts we made.

Volunteer work is satisfying not because you have done some work, but because your presence has an effect on people around. It makes me grateful for what I have and gives me a chance to serve people.