As Elizabethtown College moves gradually into spring, the community may notice a variety of changes around campus. More students sit outside to do their work and chat, people wear fewer layers and the days start to get a little longer.

While all of these spring-related changes excite everyone on campus and indicate one step closer to the end of the semester, service and community engagement remain an important facet of Etown’s mission. One spring event highlights Etown’s continued dedication to service and providing service opportunities to the community: the annual spring Day of Service.

This year, the Center for Community and Civic Engagement (CCCE), who hosted the event, held the Day of Service on March 28 and had time slots ranging from 8 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. To connect the day with the Etown’s 125th anniversary, in addition to complimentary shirts that unified all that served that day, volunteers got hats and socks which celebrated Etown.

“The Spring Day of Service perfectly embodies our school’s motto, Educate for Service, by giving students the opportunity to give back to the community,” senior computer science major Stephanie Motz said.

While students certainly benefit from engaging in the Day of Service, the CCCE encouraged all members of the community to volunteer their time. Over 250 individuals ended up signing up to volunteer for the Day of Service, which meant that almost all sign up times were full.

 Members of staff, professors, alumni and current students all came to Thompson gymnasium to make a difference, all of whom had a variety of reasons for wanting to engage in the effort.

“I wanted to do the day of service because I wasn’t able to do many service events last year for Etown,” sophomore biology and environmental science major Elyssa Weiss said.  I’m glad I did because it was a nice experience and I liked learning about all of the different communities we were helping.” 

During the hour and fifteen minute sessions, volunteers got to make kits for four local service organizations. The kits included personal care items as well as hand-written notes and drawings from the volunteers. These notes and drawings, the organizations emphasized often when talking to volunteers, provide a personal touch and show individuals that someone cares about them when they may feel otherwise.

The local service organizations included Elizabethtown Community House and Outreach Services (ECHOS), Bethesda Mission, Donegal Substance Abuse Alliance (DSAA) and Water Street Mission. All of these locations aid unhouse individuals in various ways and emphasize helping people become financially stable.

Volunteers rotated to each of the stations so they could hear about each organization and made kits for each one of them. During their time making kits, they learned more about the service organizations happening around the Elizabethtown community.

While volunteers were actively helping the organizations during the day, the nonprofits also emphasized their continued need for long term volunteers, explained what volunteers did at their organization and provided information on how to get in contact with them for anyone who wanted to support their cause.

”I love seeing the Elizabethtown community come together to support those in need,” Motz said.“During this experience, I had the privilege of learning about four local humanitarian organizations, their missions, the people they serve, and the impact they make. It brings me joy to contribute to a cause greater than myself, and being able to do so within the Etown community makes it even more meaningful.” 

One last station, which differed from the others, was one run directly by staff in the CCCE. Rather than making kits for the organizations to give out, members of the community made bags for themselves to give out for when they encounter people in need. Often when people encounter those who are unhoused, they do not feel comfortable or are unable to give money to those individuals. These kits served as an answer for that as people could give the kits to people they see in need, and know at least that the person will now have some essentials and that they had made a difference. For those who did not feel comfortable doing so, they could also leave the bags they made with the CCCE so that the CCCE could give them out instead. 

To keep updated on future service opportunities, follow the CCCE on instagram @civicengagement.