On April 17, Stockton held the Celebration of Service in F-wing.  The purpose of this was to have clubs and organizations on campus and even off campus show off the service projects they have done and the highlights of the projects.

I walked through F-wing around 12:30pm and I have to say I was pretty disappointed.  I thought there would be tons of tables set up with posters and fliers similar to that of the Get Involved Fair.  There were several tables set up but most of them were empty.  I only saw a few organizations and only one had a visual presentation.  On their poster they had an explanation of the service they did, pictures, and how much money they raised.  I definitely was surprised at how small the turnout was.

I think the idea of the Celebration of Service is fabulous.  The issue I see is getting people involved and excited about giving back to the community and then sharing what they have done.  I thought that it still could have been advertised a little bit better because it was like the Day of Scholarship was advertised.  I didn’t really know it was going on until I walked by.  This time I got an email about it so I was a little more prepared but I would have liked to see more projects presented.

I honestly think that it would be cool if the Honors Program had a table to display the service projects we do collectively, like volunteering at the animal shelter.  We always find some way to give back to the community that touches all of our hearts in some way and sparks passion in each of us.  Even though we don’t do one service project all year long, I think it would be a good start.  We’d be able to introduce service that we are passionate about and hopefully that would spark a desire for others to help out as well because it’s a good cause that most people feel the same way about.

Overall I think this is a great idea but I think it needs even more advertising to raise participation.  The idea of presenting what you have accomplished especially in terms of giving back is really spectacular but the participation isn’t there and I really wish it was.  It would be a great way to get involved in other service projects to continue to give back in not just one way but many.