Service is part of the culture and community at Slippery Rock University. One example is the First Year Day of Service event hosted by the Haverlack Civic Scholars, Sept. 19, at the Smith Student Center.
“In order to have community, you need to be community,” said Emma Stasiak, a junior management major from Windber (Windber HS), who transferred to SRU this year. “That’s what service is to me. Being the community that other people need.”
Over the course of three hours, more than 20 first-year students put together hundreds of care packages for veterans in need while learning about the importance of community service from Butler County organizations.
“We know no one has an easy life, so a community through service is very important to give an easier life to other people,” Stasiak said.
Volunteers worked together across several tables assembling the packages. Stasiak helped set up personal hygiene products to be placed into smaller bags and assembled packages.
The activity provided social benefits to the volunteers who learned from one another and reflected on the meaning of service. They
were posed questions by the organizers about community, service and what it means to them in between stages of the event.
“We heard other people’s stories about challenges their communities’ face,” Stasiak said. “You got a glimpse into how everyone’s lives around you can be different.”
The event helped Stasiak see how a community like SRU can rally for people in need in the surrounding area.
“People will show up if you ask,” Stasiak said. “From what we saw, if you do ask for help, people will show up. That’s something really important that everyone can apply to their own life. It can be scary to ask for help, and you might think people won’t show up, but even one person can help.”
The Haverlack Civic Scholars is a program at SRU that empowers participating students to take actions that improve the SRU campus and external community to prepare them for lives of public purpose and engaged citizenship. Sponsored by the Frank & Margaret Haverlack Good Citizen Scholarship, the Haverlack Civic Scholars program enrolls more than eight students this year who are assigned to service sites and community organizations to foster engagement from the SRU community.
The First Year Day of Service is a combined effort by the Haverlack Civic Scholars that was held in partnership with SHINE, a grassroots initiative in Butler County that stands for Supporting Hygiene in Need Everywhere.
More information about service at SRU is available on RockServe’s website. More information about the Haverlack Civic Scholars is available on the SRU Center for Community Engagement webpage.
