Josh Thum – Author Groupie

A film that brings tears to your eyes . . .
Dear John

Describe your first kiss.

I had my first kiss when I was in the seventh grade. There was a girl that I had a crush on and it was the day of my school picnic. I asked her if she wanted to get on the Ferris wheel with me, and as soon as we got to the stop I leaned over and kissed her on the lips.

Your favorite children’s book, and why . . .

My favorite book as a child was Five Little Monkeys. That was my favorite book because I used to always jump on the bed. My mom would come in and always yell at me that I am going to hurt myself.

A cause that’s closest to your heart, and why . . .

The cause that is closest to my heart would be the passing of a family friend. She has a littler girl who is my sister’s age and a boy that is in eighth grade. The reason why this affects me the most is because her son looks up to me as a role model. He is going to the same high-school I went to and I give him all my old clothes that do not fit anymore.

If you could be a character in any novel, who would you be and why?

Bugs Bunny because he seems to always be in control no matter what comes his way. The bunny could figure his way out of anything, and outsmart any foe be it a two gun slinging Yosemite Sam, or a hot breathed tree chomping Tasmanian Devil.

Explain the worst job that you’ve held.

One of my worst jobs was working a concession stand at a golf course. While preparing food was not the most exciting thing in the world to me, and I barely lasted a summer doing it.

A quote that motivates you . . .
If you want to be the best,
Work harder than the rest.
If you don’t want to be the best,
Just work like the rest.

Three Wishes . . .
I’d wish for wealth

I’d wish for happiness
I’d wish for a cure for cancer

The title of that one song you would take with you on that deserted island. . .

Love Sosa

Favorite game you played as a child . . .

Uno

What would you like readers to take away from your writing?
I would like for readers to take away the main points that I try to talk about.

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Looking through the long list of places I have done community services at,the food pantry,the community that was hit by a tornado and the cemetery were the ones that had caught my attention.I knew that all those places were going to be a great choice but I did not think it could make such an impact in my life.Service has always been a large portion of my life,mainly because I went to a Catholic grade school and high school.Every Thanksgiving I went to a local food pantry. When I arrived at the food pantry,I started packing food and prepped them for delivery.When the Thanksgiving trays were ready,I would drive to houses to deliver them to families who could not afford a Thanksgiving meal.

I did a lot of service in order for me to graduate high school.For one of my service projects,the volleyball team and I went to the Kirkwood area to clean up houses after a tornado came sweeping through the town. Showing up to the tornado site was devastating to see.There were families that were crying and saying that they had nothing left of their houses except for the foundation of the house.My team and I spent about eight hours there throwing bricks,pieces of wood,and parts of the walls and roofs of the houses into giant dumpsters.One moment that impacted me was when an older man drove by and told me one of his houses was struck by the tornado.He said to me “Thanks for everything you guys are doing;it means a lot to me and also the rest of the community.”

Another service I did was my class went to this cemetery that was in horrible condition.There were gravestones knocked over,grass up to my hips,and trees that had fallen onto graves.We spent all day cutting the grass and carrying tree limbs to be tossed through a shredder.Fox 2 news showed up to interview the owners of the cemetery and also some of the students who were helping to rehabilitate this cemetery.After we finished for the day,the school received a call from the owners of the cemetery.They wanted to tell our school how much it meant to them,how they received calls from the public saying “how much better it looks,” and that they wanted us to come back next year.

When I first heard that we had to do community service for McKendree,I was kind of hesitant.I did not want to wake up at 6:45 in the morning to do work.But when I woke up,I realized that this was for a good cause.The service I had to do was for an elementary school.We had to paint curbs that were damaged from rain and tear.Doing this service I did not receive as much of a personal experience,but it was an experience in a wider range.Not only did it affect me,but it also affected the community.I liked painting the curbs because I knew it was an object I can see with a physical change.I would rather do this type of service because I do landscape,and cutting grass is not as meaningful to me since I do it all the time.I am glad I had an opportunity to do this type of service.I really enjoyed it and it also made me closer to my classmates.Community service became not only a chore but was it was rewarding. It helped me understand that I do not have to do service just to receive feedback.

By Josh Thum

I am volleyball player at McKendree University. I enjoy playing golf in my free time.

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