FOR A GOOD CAUSE -- Brittany Paselk

Story by Deepa Bharath; photos by [tk]

Brittany Paselk gets her inspiration from success stories.

The 17-year-old, who will be a senior this fall at Corona del Mar High

School, sees, hears and sometimes is part of those stories that motivate

her to do better and to do more for her community.

Paselk volunteers for Child’s Pace, a state-subsidized program for

school-age children and adolescents in Costa Mesa that mostly caters to

the needs of low-income families.

She also tutors Estancia High School girls and works with special

education students through a program at school.

“Just watching kids grow and reaching their goals is inspirational,”

Paselk said.

At Child’s Pace, where she has volunteered since September, Paselk has

helped raise about $500 so the kids can go on a camping trip. She will be

accompanying them on the one-week excursion next week.

She volunteers about six hours a week during the school year and more

than double that time in the summer. And she says it’s not like work at

all; it’s more like fun.

“Working with the kids is great,” she said. “They’re so great. They’re

smart. It’s great seeing things from their perspective.”

Paselk has also successfully interested her Corona del Mar High

classmates and friends in volunteering. With the help of her school

counselor, she started a club called Reaching Out to Kids.

“This is what I’m really interested in,” she said. “I’m really good

with kids. I like working with them.”

It is certainly a job that calls for a lot of patience and

understanding, Paselk said.

“I think you have to look at them more as friends and not as little

kids who don’t know what they’re doing,” she said.

Volunteering to work with low-income families has also taught her

several valuable lessons, Paselk said.

“The girls I tutor in Estancia, I see what they and their families go

through,” she said. “A lot of their families haven’t been to college.

They have to struggle and cope with immigration issues, like some of them

don’t have a green card.”

Paselk said she realized she is lucky that she has everything in her

life planned out, but there are many others who are not as fortunate.

“But these girls are not sure where they’re going,” she said.

Paselk said she would continue to volunteer and give back to the

community for as long as she can.

“I’d definitely do it,” she said. “It’s a neat experience.”