的夫人. 卡拉·布恩和博士. 詹•格林
Spring break is often thought of as a time to enjoy sun, sand, and relaxation. For 15 ODU students, their spring break this year looked a little different. In five days, these students, under the guidance of the Office of 领导 & 学习, completed almost 300 hours of 志愿服务 in our 当地的 community, choosing to use their Spring Break to give back to others!
不同的春假, 专注于服务, 志愿服务, 以及如何回馈需要帮助的社区, are a fairly common practice among higher education institutions. ODU has offered 不同的春假 for students in years previous, but we were especially excited to bring the program back after a brief hiatus due to COVID, 并提供, 第一次, 一个完全 当地的 另类春假. All six service sites this year were 当地的 to our 757 community, 让我们的志愿者工作离家更近!
这一周是从一个星期天晚上开始的, 当学生和教职员聚在一起吃晚饭的时候, 目标概况, 预期, 接下来是繁忙一周的细节. 周一, 第一个服务点是弗吉尼亚水族馆, where students not only got to see behind the scenes with the Aquarium Care Team, 但也有机会参与其中, helping to clean the “food prep” kitchen where all fish food is prepared, 同时制作一罐浓缩的苍蝇膏, 非常适合喂鱼! 虽然在水族馆做志愿者很令人兴奋, nothing could top the behind-the-scenes moments of watching Komodo Dragon and Sea Turtle feedings – a memory our students will never forget!
星期二以扎染开始, 院子里游戏, 还有阳光，烹饪也结束了, 服务, and 志愿服务 with the Norfolk Winter Shelter’s dinner service at Trinity Presbyterian Church. Our ODU students did it all – from check-in to table setting, 从烹饪到上桌, and even taking time to socialize with shelter guests. We fed over sixty members of the homeless community this evening, 我们的学生做得非常出色! This service experience appeared to have a personal impact on many of the students. 完成了一项春假后的调查, one student commented that they were “surprised by how well the team worked together at the shelter in the church [and] also how friendly the guests were that attended.” Another student commented that their biggest takeaway from the week of service was “not to judge people based [on] where they stand in society.”
The third day of Spring Break involved planting trees at 最靠谱的网赌软件’s Virginia Beach campus, in partnership with the Virginia Department of Forestry, 林恩黑文河, and the Virginia Trees for Clean Water grant that was recently awarded for reforestation at this campus. 学生们了解了气候变化的影响, the positive impact of green spaces and trees on public health and our environment and planted over 50 trees before heading to APEX for some fun and relaxation – and arcade games, 当然!
Next on the agenda was the Chesapeake Center for Student Success, where ODU students were able to hear from school principal, Dr. Brown, learn about alternative education programs in our community, and work alongside 8thgrade students from the program to build raised planter beds and clean up school landscaping. The group also visited the Norfolk SPCA in the afternoon, 帮收容所遛狗, 与收容所的猫互动, 这种捐款, 协助洗衣服, 为动物们制作丰富的玩具和零食.
Students finished this busy week with a morning of 志愿服务 on campus in the 君主储藏室 位于韦伯中心. 学生们了解了粮食不安全问题, as well as ways students can get involved before cleaning, 整理货架, 整理捐款. This last day of 另类春假 concluded with a culminating lunch, where students were able to meet and 分享 their experiences with ODU staff and faculty from 职业发展服务, 领袖计划, 住房 & Residence Life, the Dean of Students Office, and more. It was wonderful to see students 分享 their experiences and create meaningful connections to their work.
在参加了另类春假之后, students surveyed (n=15) 分享d the following about ASB’s influence on their lives:
- 100% cared more about how their actions impact others
- 100%的人觉得与ODU和他们的同事更有联系
- 100% learned more about their skills, abilities, and growth areas
- 100% interested in getting more involved in the Hampton Roads community
One of the 另类春假 student participants summed up the essence of the week perfectly when he 分享d: "This experience has taught me that even small acts of kindness and service can make a significant impact on those around us. Volunteering was amazing, and it made me realize that I can make a difference no matter where I am. 我感到非常受鼓舞，并准备好继续回馈社会!"
Volunteering is one of many ways to get involved in your community – if you are looking to give back and make a positive impact yourself or find ways to help connect students to service opportunities, 请与领导办公室联系 & 学习. Our mission is to create civically engaged leaders, and we would love to partner with you! Please follow VolunteerODU on Instagram for additional opportunities, or email volunteer@vbl-design.com 将被添加到每月志愿者电子邮件列表中. We hope to get out of the classroom and into the community with you soon!