The many lovers of volunteer work came together on the 11th Annual Day of Service, September 6th, 2014. It was such a great thing for all the students to be surrounded by equally motivated busy bees ready to take on what the day had in store. Coming from a high school career where I put so much time into community service, it was a relief to see that the college had dedicated a whole day just for volunteer work. The beginning of the day was set up smoothly with free breakfast and a complimentary t-shirt for those daring to wake up by 8 a.m. on a Saturday. The transition into the main hall appeared a bit hectic with everyone trying to find empty seats for a project, but the high energy welcomed everyone to try something they may have never thought to do before.
I, for one, ended up doing highway clean up with a sorority. One other freshmen accompanied me while we tried the best we could to appear confident among all the other upper-class men sorority members. We all blended well as we cleaned three miles worth of their adopted highway in the early heat. The various trash, alcohol bottles and fast-food garbage being popular, lined the grass along the side. It was a disheartening find to see the blatant disregard so many people feel for the nature around them that provides them with vital means to survive. The mountains of garbage bags we filled was a blatant reminder to how the environment is continually used and abused.
This particular service task may seem small, but it serves as a vital part in the bigger picture of environmental safety and awareness. Small high-way clean ups may not stop bigger problems, like global warming, but they are ways to educate the more immediate masses about how each individual can help on the smaller scale. Small steps fuel the need for change that all must contribute to. If no one attempts to clean up their own community, than no one will ever know how to begin to “clean up” the world.