By Paige Beck

Most people think of a soccer star when they hear the name Jalen McNeal, but there is a lot more to his story than kicking around a ball. When McNeal has spare time, he volunteers at the Cedar Valley Humane Society.  

McNeal, a junior, doesn’t have pets, so in a way, volunteering at the Humane Society has allowed him to have a pet of his own. It has also helped him become the dog lover he is today. He can go and play with the animals without having to take one home.

The Cedar Valley Humane Society is an animal shelter, and they are always in need of more volunteers. McNeal explained the processes of how to sign up to be a volunteer. “You go to orientation, and they tell you what you are going to be doing. Then you just have to register so they know you’re interested in helping,” McNeal said. Even though McNeal has only been volunteering with the Humane Society for half a month, he really enjoys it.

Because of McNeal’s busy schedule in the school year, during the summer he tries to spend as much time as he can volunteering. He started volunteering at school activities two years ago because of the National Honors Society and the Pay it Forward program.

The Humane Society is the most recent program to benefit from McNeal’s service. When he goes in to help, his main job is to take care of the animals. “That’s probably the best part,” McNeal said. “You get to spend time with a bunch of animals. It’s pretty fun.” He gets to take the dogs for walks, play with the cats, and socialize with other animals at the Humane Society. “It doesn’t take much out of your day when you have nothing else to do,” he said.

McNeal wants to encourage other people, like his friends and teachers, to start volunteering more often. “I think if they just do it once, if they just experience it, they will want to do it more often,” he said. He also talked about how to get people to volunteer. He said that his friends would be more likely to volunteer in a group rather than go alone.

Even though McNeal started volunteering so he could make the requirements for his goals, he learned to love how volunteering makes him feel. McNeal likes that he is helping the world around him and that he works to better the lives of others.

One thing McNeal has learned is how to be more patient. He explained that he needed to be calm when working with the animals. Empathy is another thing that he has learned. He has a better understanding of the people around him and what they are going through.

After high school, McNeal wants to continue volunteering and helping the people around him. He wants to make the world a better place, and he believes he can do that by volunteering. Now, when people hear the name Jalen McNeal, they will not only think of a soccer star, they will think of a volunteer, a helping hand.