How to Help?

I mentioned in my last blog entry that what attracts me most to politics is the ability to connect with members of a community while having the power to change their lives for the better. Working in the Bonner Center for Service and Learning, I have seen the great work that volunteers do here in the greater Oberlin community. America Reads tutors teach children how to read, Bonner Scholars organize events such as the Day of Service to motivate the entire campus into community service, and students work with Lorain County residents for free tax filing and to find affordable, equitable housing. Of course, those are just a few of the things that Obies do that the Bonner Center has either initiated or facilitated. These projects change the lives of those in the community they reach for the better without the pomp and circumstance of a political office in control of the operation. This contrast prompts me to pose a question that I have yet to find the answer to: What are the benefits of working in the community through a political framework rather than through a non-profit organization or other local resources for financial, educational and health assistance? Why, besides ego, would you choose one over the other?