On September 12, I attended The Day of Service organized by Service Learning. The event started at 8 o’clock in the morning and went on until about 3 in the afternoon. There was a new format this year; rather than doing one event for the entire day, there were four activities scheduled. To help the event run smoothly, there were four groups categorized by colors.

I was in the red group and went to the volunteer activity presented by Books without Borders. A spokesperson from the Covenant House in Atlantic City spoke about the teens who live there. Her speech impacted me the most out of the entire day. She mentioned that teens from all calibers of life walk through the front door. She mentioned a girl who goes to Kean University who still has nowhere to go during the summer. The girl finds the Covenant House a safe place for her to be. Her speech made me think I should be more grateful for the life I have. I would also like to fundraise for the house to help get the teenagers more beds. The house currently has 27 and over 40 individuals living there. I would like to help raise enough money for at least ten more beds for the house.

The next event was about civic involvement in the community. A representative from Petey Greene, a new organization on campus also sparked my interest. On Friday afternoons she and college students go to local prisons to help tutor inmates. I then learned about Greendot, which is a program to help stop sexual assault. The program helped teach me to be a proactive bystander and help in situations I find uneasy. The last program was an ACUA presentation. The President came in and explained what the company does. Stockton’s Waterwatch had a presentation about water and safety. They informed me about how unhealthy plastic water bottles are. I believe the whole day was informative and helped shape me into a more civic citizen.