Student Life achieves significant milestone with 1,000 participants in annual Service Day, March 29
Lacey Klotz |
On Wednesday, March 29, over 1,000 Lipscomb students, faculty and staff lent a helping hand to schools, groups, agencies and other organizations across the greater Nashville area as part of Lipscomb University’s annual Service Day.
Keela Smith, associate dean of student life, says this is a significant milestone, as the number of participants has never reached above 1,000 since the tradition was established in 2002.
“It is a huge testament to our students' commitment to service that for the first time ever, we had over 1,000 participants in Lipscomb's annual Spring Service Day,” said Smith. “Jacky Gomez did an incredible job as the Service Day coordinator this year and made incredible strides in our connections with community partners. It is such an honor to see our students be so passionate and engaged with serving our community.”
Painting, gardening, sorting donations and picking up trash were are all on the day’s agenda for Lipscomb community members who cleared their afternoon schedules to give back to the community.
From noon to 4 p.m., all university classes were canceled as volunteers headed to 56 locations around Nashville including Room in the Inn, the Ronald McDonald House, Soles and Souls, Radnor Lake, ThriftSmart and more, to serve.
“Service is a cornerstone of student life and the entire university,” said Smith. “We want to give students spaces to engage with the community and learn from opportunities both inside and outside of the classroom. This year, we had a great variety of opportunities that benefited both the community and our students who participate."
Beginning in 2002 with only 50 participants, Lipscomb’s Service Day has become one of the most anticipated days of the spring semester and a very meaningful event for students.
Lauren Borders, a junior communication major from Atlanta, Georgia, spend her day painting a boat for Save the Cumberland, a nonprofit environmental organization that seeks to engage Nashville in cleaning one of its largest natural resources. Borders, who has served at Radnor Lake and Dismal House, a post-prison recovery program in Nashville, in past Service Days, says she appreciates the priority Lipscomb places on serving and loving those within our community.
“At Lipscomb, obviously academics are really important, but I think it’s nice that we take a day every year during the school week to serve our community,” said Borders. “I think it really makes a statement about who we are as Lipscomb students: that we care about our futures, but also the future of our community.”
For more information about Lipscomb’s Service Day, contact Smith at keela.smith [at] lipscomb.edu.
- Photos by Kristi Jones?