Everyone has their own definition of service. Service is supposed to put an effect on people lives and help them through a hard time. Is the service you are doing enough?
Tom Southard, interim director of the Wolfington center and Stephanie Reed, director of student diversity initiatives put together a community discussion about “Service Beyond One’s Self.” As we go along with Martin Luther King day, we remember the great things that he has done for our society.
Dr. King once said, “What are you doing for others?”
One of the missions of Cabrini College is to engage in community service in pursuit of the common good. The discussion that was held on Tuesday, Jan.20 in Grace Hall consisted of a seven person panel that had questions asked of them by Southard. On the panel were Dr. Filling-Brown, Dr. Joe Fitzgerald, Rusleykah Chevalier, Greg Robinson, Joan Kleckner, Maria Vizcarrondo and Father Carl Janicki.
Southard started the discussion asking the panel how they see service.
“How we work with people outside of Cabrini College, how we change our society and continue to keep service including social justice,” Southard said. The panel went down the line introducing themselves and they explained how they see service and what they do for the community.
“I came here to do something bigger and better than myself. You should not wake up being okay with the way the world is right now,” alumni Greg Robinson, said. “Service should be a part of your DNA,” Kleckner said.
Students such as Rusleykah Chevalier have a different look on community service. Service got her where she is today.
“What can you give to the people you are trying to help, what did you leave them with,” asked Black Student Union President Rusleykah Chevalier. Her experience of growing up in Haiti and getting help from Americans put a positive effect in her life, which brought her to want to do community service to make a difference in others lives.
“Let students decide on their own what their true passion is and not just teach it to them,” Kleckner said. “A student said after coming back from Ecuador that she used to spend $400 on a pair of shoes and now she will never do that again.”
Going outside of America and seeing that there are people out there with very little makes you want to put your money and time into something that will change someone’s life.
Students that joined the discussion believe we do have work to do as a whole.
“Students constantly say there is nothing to do on campus but if you look on the wall there are many fliers up telling you what you can do.”
For the future years to come the goal is to have better unity and to come together to achieve more effective service in and out of the community.
President Don Taylor believes enough is never enough for his taste. There is always room to improve and to do something bigger and better than before. Change and improvement will affect the community in a positive way. Taylor hopes to see many more of the Cabrini community at future discussions so we all can improve on how we do service outside of our community.
The discussion ended with the gospel choir singing “Every Praise,” showing the community what service means to them.
