On Saturday September 7th, Stockton held it’s 10th annual Day of Service. Being a freshman, this was my first time participating in this event. When I first got the email for the Day of Service, I pre-registered right away. I knew it was something I really wanted to be a part of.
Day of Service is sponsored by the Office of Student Development. This year the event would take place in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Besides all the glitz and glamour of the casinos, I knew there was a side of AC that needed help from whoever would give it.
The night before Day of Service, I set my alarm for 6:30am since I commute to school. I wanted to get to school early so I didn’t have to wait in line for long. When I got to school, there was already a crowd. I was in the last group since my last name starts with a “W”. After waiting for about a half hour, I was finally able to sign in. The event leaders provided us breakfast and gave us shirts to wear for the day. So after eating breakfast and throwing on my new shirt over my tank top, I made my way up to the event room. Inside, there were many tables with different club/organization names on them. I browsed around at the different activities but eventually settled with Circle K.
We were taken to the Atlantic City Police Athletic League. We set up shop in one of the event rooms. There was a station making PB&J sandwiches for the homeless, one making dog toys for the Humane Society, and another making cards for terminally ill children. I spent my day sewing blankets for Project Linus. In short, Project Linus makes blankets (Like the one Linus has in the Preanuts) and gives them to ill children. I already knew how to sew, so I figured this would be the best activity for me.
I consider myself socially awkward so I didn’t expect to really talk to anyone or to make any friends. However, I was suprised how welcoming upperclassmen were. They helped me feel comfortable and I had a great time. I made new friends and helped out a great cause. When it came time for us to leave, we found out our bus had broken down on its way to pick us up. So after waiting another twenty minutes or so, we got another bus to take us back to the campus. Overall, I had a great time participating in the Day of Service and I’d definitely do it again.