A recent article I read discusses a $5.7 billion national service bill President Obama is about to sign. The bill is supposed to provide tuition money for students who volunteer in their communities and that has me wondering if the definition of volunteerism has changed completely.

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I was raised to volunteer in my community; to "give back" and help others less fortunate. In order to get tuition money you either got a job, studied hard enough to qualify for merit scholorships or took out student loans. I do believe we, as a nation, need to encourage young people to volunteer in their communities. But the lesson should be about sacrificing one's time, skills and sweat to help others not community service as an opportunity to make some cash.