Mike Heine

Professor Rodriguez

Having been involved in community service since the sixth grade, attending the Stockton Day of Service hosted by the Office of Student Development on 9/10/16 was an easy choice. I was able to make the community a better place and I got a free t-shirt at the end of the day. The morning started off with an activity designed to increase voting awareness called Text, Talk, Vote. We answered a variety of questions about prominent social issues and learned about the importance of voting. At first, I didn’t understand how this helped, but I soon realized that being politically involved and well informed is a great way to improve your community. The next activity involved making cards and bracelets for children in the hospital. I have done similar projects in the past, so I understood the impact of what we were doing. It felt good knowing that the card or bracelet I made could brighten a sick child’s entire day. The final activity we participated in was run by Stop Hunger Now and involved creating meal packets for people in third world countries. Each packet contained rice, soy, vegetables, and sauce and could feed six people. During high school, I volunteered at a foodbank and proposed a food drive as a service project for a club. Making sure that people have enough food has always been important to me, so this activity was special. During the reflection session, I made sure I mentioned that. Day of Service is a good way to get involved at Stockton and in the greater community. The people running the events are very nice and willing to answer any questions. It’s great that Stockton brings these organizations into the school to work with students and faculty and I hope they continue this tradition.