Kayla Mitchell – News Editor
The Ronald D. Herron Day of Service at Southern is one day like no other. It is a time when everyone comes together as students of Southern Connecticut State University, instead of separating into the clubs and organizations that students are a part of.
The ideas that stuck with some students can really change the whole perspective of a community. Junior Whitney Jordan went on to say that, “The best part of this Day of Service was seeing Southern come together as a community to help our greater community. It’s rare to see all clubs and organizations coming together for one common goal.”
When Day of Service first started, there were merely 50 students. Now in its seventh year and more than 500 students from multiple clubs and organizations donate their time in order to make a real difference in New Haven. These service projects that are assigned are targeted to benefit different New Haven neighborhoods and the New Haven community as a whole.
Many of the clubs and organizations that were in attendance at Day of Service included the many Greek organizations, Service Team, and Student Government Association. As part of the beginning transition into college life and life at Southern in particular, many inquiry (INQ) classes also participated.
Southern aims to make the Day of Service a positive event with a positive and inspiring impact on the community of New Haven and Southern’s own community. After the Day of Service, students should be encouraged and inspired to work more in the community and keep community service alive wherever they go.
The students at the Day of Service were kept busy with a multitude of projects at their site. At the Kimberly Avenue site, some students raked up leaves in the center while some picked up trash from the street.
Senior Chelsey Grifa, a member of Delta Phi Epsilon Sorority commented on her experiences that day. “I cleaned up leaves and cleaned the central point of the community of the debris,” said Grifa. “We went to a park that had a playground and we cleaned up trash, glass, and cigarette butts in order to make it safer for children to play in.”
The Day of Service offers students an experience that is unparallelled. Sophomore Allison Mulcrone, also a member of Delta Phi Epsilon said, “This experience has been more fun than I thought it would be. It was a really fun and rewarding experience. I loved that I got to spend time with my sisters while also helping out the community. This is definitely something that I would like to do again.”
Southern is a close knit community and when everyone works together, there is nothing that can’t be accomplished.
The best part of this Day of Service for Jordan was, “Being able to spend quality time with my sisters and being able to help others at the same time. It was even better knowing that we, as the community at Southern, are making an impact in the greater community of New Haven.”
After four years of service, Grifa offered her experiences in the past as well. With this being her last Day of Service as a Southern student, she was feeling nostalgic. In her past experiences, she explains what her favorite site was. “My favorite site was closer to downtown and we made a peace garden,” said Grifa. “We had to clear out the area and plant a new garden. I got to paint and plant something new. It was my best experience at Day of Service.”
The community really needs help and students at Southern are there ready to volunteer and make a difference in the community that they live in. Every fall students line up to make a difference and Day of Service helps them achieve their goal.
