Thanks!You guys have already listened to 2 of these speeches, and there is 1 more after me, so I will try and stay brief.Like Michael said, I'm Perry Nielsen, the 2018 class president.I joined YSML last year when Dylan’s Mom, Chris Ellis, told my mom about this organization.Back then the Fort Collins Chapter was just getting started; the Moms were putting in tons of hard work.Mom and I talked it over; we both thought it would be a good way to get those much needed volunteer hours.And you know… helping people and stuff.Having been part of YMSL for two years now, and serving as President for the past year, I’ve settled into the routine of YMSL.You volunteer, bring your gift items so you have to volunteer less, and you tolerate the occasional meeting because you need to.I’m sure most of the boys in this room can agree with that.The problem with thinking like this is that YMSL becomes a chore; it is another check off our list of graduation requirements.The truth of the matter is that all of the boys in this room are lucky to be able to serve in this organization.Rather than being part of the people that need to be helped, rather than being poor or helpless, we get the chance, and the liberty, to help others because we are blessed and have easy and happy lives.We get to choose to help others.YMSL isn’t a chore; it’s a choice for us boys to step out of our comfort zones and help people who actually need our time and our care.It’s not for our resume; it’s about spending our precious time on this earth making a real impact on other people’s lives and doing something that is completely selfless.But it does help with our resumes.Believe it or not, we are going to be adults very quickly, and when you’re an adult, no one is forcing you to go to school or serve the public or do anything worthwhile.Then, we get to chose our own path in life, and we are entirely in control of how we view others and world around us.And when we are in control, it's easy for us to lose control and become unhappy because we feel like we haven’t been given all that we deserve and we are sad at our lives and circumstances.When we are that age; when we are adults, we have to be careful that we don’t forget how blessed we really are and how much we should be thankful for.Up to this point in our lives, it’s been our mothers and our fathers who have kept us thankful and full of Gratitude.And we love our parents for doing that for us, because we are living nightmares to manage.But at some point our parents can’t baby us anymore; we have to step up and lead our own fulfilling and good lives by our own will and choice.And we have to be careful not to become greedy and unhappy.YMSL is so important because it acts as a transition for us boys to become real and true Men.Seeing the needy and less fortunate; helping them with their problems; feeling what it’s like to really have nothing; now that’s how we become thankful for what we actually have.YMSL isn’t a chore; it’s a choice; a choice to show how lucky we really are.
Perry Nielsen
