Michael Jackson's lyrics came to fruition as SCC students gave back to the community during its first-ever Day of Service.
The SCC Day of Service took place Friday, Oct. 2, at various locations in the St. Charles community, including Calvary Church, North East Community Action Corporation (NECAC), The Salvation Army, Sts. Joachim and Ann Care Service and St. Charles Community College.
SCC Day of Service is a day for SCC students, faculty and staff to participate in a variety of community service projects across St. Charles County. The day exemplifies SCC's commitment to serving the community by focusing on student success and lifelong learning.
The idea of having a community outreach day that involved members of the SCC community had been in the works for years, but a budget for the event was hard to put together. After a final push from Beth Finders, then dean of student success, the event came to fruition.
“There has always been a strong desire to hold a Day of Service at SCC,” said Bryonie Carter, assistant professor of English and service learning co-coordinator at SCC. “This fall was a pilot event, but the event was so successful, we are hoping to make it a semiannual event - one during the fall semester and one during the spring semester.”
Close to 60 volunteers participated, with an even spread of people through all five on- and off-campus projects.
“We were thrilled to have a mix of faculty, staff, students and administrators participate,” Carter said. “The organizations were thrilled to have our help!”
The first project organizers identified took place on the SCC campus. Volunteers assisted the college's groundskeepers by pulling weeds along the Great Rivers Greenway Trail. The next project had staff and students helping with landscaping needs at nearby Calvary Church.
“Matt Miller from Calvary Church helped us connect with other agencies in St. Charles that needed help. With his guidance, we reached out to North East Community Action Corporation (NECAC), The Salvation Army and Sts. Joachim and Ann Care Service,” Carter said.
Volunteers at all five sites completed their respective projects, and, in some cases, groups were able to help the agencies with more than they originally had planned.
Jackie Radle, instructor of developmental math at SCC, decided to participate in SCC's Day of Service because despite the fact that she doesn't typically volunteer, she found the event interesting and wanted to help for the common good.
“I chose to work at Sts. Joachim and Ann Care Service. I know that they provide a huge service to the less fortunate in our area, and I was curious to learn more about what they do,” Radle said. “I worked with roughly a dozen students and we spent about four hours painting.”
“As their regular staff squeezed their way through our mess throughout the morning, it was so rewarding to hear how thankful they were for what we were doing,” Radle continued. “It's funny that having a bright white hallway, rather than a dingy yellow hallway with rainbows and butterflies, can make such a difference. Making a positive difference for these people, who help so many others, was very rewarding!”
Now that Radle has a contact at Sts. Joachim and Ann Care Service she plans to volunteer there again.
“I love to help people. That's why I teach. That's why I coach. It is very easy to get caught up in your own little world and to say that you're just too busy to fit anything else in, but this is just a different avenue to help out. My family will be joining me the next time around!”
For Radle, one of the most memorable things about volunteering was coming together as strangers to help someone in need.
“For the most part, we were a group of strangers. Seeing the group transform from being shy and quiet into having discussions and listening to loud music was great. When we finished, Glenn, the director, offered to give us a tour of the facility to explain what exactly they offer the community. We were tired and were covered in paint, but not one person said they didn't have time for a tour.”
Taylor Mayes, student at SCC, got involved with the Day of Service because it was a requirement for her service learning course. Although she participated to complete class requirements, she said she couldn't believe how fulfilling the experience was.
“I volunteered with Calvary Church and helped them plant almost a hundred trees as well as work on other landscaping that needed to be done,” said Mayes. “I chose that organization because I love doing anything that involves nature.”
Maybe it was a little dirt and manual labor that made it fun. Maybe it was the camaraderie. Either way, Mayes and others had a great time.
“I couldn't imagine how long it would've taken them to do all of that work without us. I met some really amazing people at the church, and it makes me want to get more involved with our community,” Mayes said.
Bryonie Carter, along with Kelley Pfeiffer and Mandi Smith who spearheaded SCC Day of Service, couldn't be more pleased with how the event turned out.
“I was most gratified by the fact that many, if not all, participants came away from the event deeply affected by their experiences,” Carter added. “Hopefully this will aid our mission of advocating for community engagement across campus, both inside the classroom with service learning experiences and outside the classroom with community initiatives like this one.”