Connor Gallagher is a typical teenager. The high school freshman plays guitar and has had the lead twice in school plays. He also volunteers – something he thinks all kids his age should do.

“We are the new generation and, even though we are young, we are part of society,” Connor says. “We have the chance to ‘be the change’, and make a difference through volunteering.”

Conner is a Hands On Tampa Bay (HOT) volunteer, along with his mother, Maureen Todaro. Maureen enjoys volunteering with her son and values the time and precious experiences together that volunteering affords them.

“Since the beginning, HOT has been a great experience for my mom and me,” explains Connor. “Signing up is easy, the projects are scheduled at good times, and the people we volunteer with – especially the project leaders – have been very helpful.”

The mother-son duo often volunteers with Metropolitan Ministries. The project, which involves preparing and serving food to the homeless, affords Connor and Maureen the opportunity to “see eye-to-eye with the people we are helping,” says Connor. “It puts our lives in perspective.”

Conner and Maureen also enjoy volunteering at Personal Energy Transportation and at Hudson Manor, a retirement home. “I never knew how popular Bingo was!” Connor exclaims. At the Hands On Tampa Bay Day at Bay Pines in April, Connor recalls, “It was fantastic to be part of something so big, to see all of the volunteers coming together for a common cause. We were all there working toward the same goal; it was very powerful.”

Young, with the world before him, Conner is strikingly wise.

“Volunteering makes us all better people,” said Conner. “When we all do a little bit, it makes the world a better place. And, for young people like me, volunteering gives us a chance to prove ourselves and what we can do for others. HOT lets us show the world what we’ve got.”