The Day of Service is just as it sounds in its name: it is a day where the Stockton University joins together to serve our community. This day is sponsored by the Office of Student Development annually to gather students, staff, alumni, and plenty of more people from the community to help out and give back. Walking into the Day of Service with an open mind, not knowing anyone, I was pleasantly surprised on how the day turned out. Each person was divided into different groups according to color (Go Green Team!) and each team throughout the day was assigned to a certain lecture to listen to or activity to complete. There were four service projects through the day, and each taught of something different then the other. My personal favorite was hearing Circle-K talk about what they do for our Stockton Community and then, making cards for cancer patients in the local hospital to brighten their days.

          After a long day of serving the community, we were able as groups to reflect on what we experienced throughout the day and how it affected us. Many of my fellow group members and myself explained to each other how well we thought the day was put together and how it affected us on personal levels. The Day of Service taught me that giving back to the community should not just be one day of service, it should be weekly, monthly, or even annually. Before coming to Stockton University, volunteering was always something I was passionate about. Now after the Day of Service, students including myself are aware of the many different clubs and events here on campus that one can volunteer at. Helping others in anyway possible is good for not only the person being helped, but the helper as well. Volunteering is emotionally rewarding, and the Day of Service proved this.

Graciously, at the end of a very long day of serving, we were given t-shirts commemorating the day our whole Stockton Community had just completed. I am already filled with excitement for next years Day of Service, and hope to become involved in some of the organizations that attended this day.