On October 18^th, I did the Afternoon of Service. There were many different service projects that benefited different organizations. We made cards for soldiers and hospitalized children, made bears for children staying in the Ronald McDonald House, made wreaths for the Ronald McDonald House, made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the Atlantic City Rescue Mission, made dog toys for the animal shelter and colored pictures for soldiers and children who are ill.

Since there were so many stations, everyone went to the project they wanted to do and were able to switch whenever he or she wanted. For the three hours that I was there, I made teddy bears for the children in the Ronald McDonald House. This was one of the best service projects that I participated in. It felt amazing to know that we were not just helping one group of people but many organizations and people in need. But the best part was that at the end, the coordinator talked about who specifically we were helping and why we were helping them. She also informed us on what the non-profit organizations do and why it is a good idea to help that certain organization out. In all the service events I have been to, no one has ever told me what I was really there for and who my volunteering really helped.

In the end we made 138 dog toys for the animal shelter, 52 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, 40 coloring pages, 27 door hangers, 21 coloring books, 9 teddy bears, 3 cards, and 2 wreaths. Those numbers are amazing. Even though many people did not show up for the event, our small group of people got a lot done. I left feeling amazing that day!

Christina Baker Kline, the author of Orphan Train, came to Stockton to present the history and her research behind the book. After spending so much time analyzing the book, it was a treat seeing the author tell her audience what she really meant or what she really wanted to portray in a character when she wrote a certain part. Kline did an amazing job because she really put the audience in her characters’ shoes. With a book with so much information and history, it is important to know what was actually happening during that time period. She went through the entire process of how she came up with the idea and what she did and found in her research, which then transitioned smoothly into the Q&A Session. At the end, Kline signing my book was an awesome extra perk!

Personally, I really liked this event because we got to see who created the people and storyline that our seminar classes held discussions over. It was organized and to the point. But I wish that the question and answer session could have been longer because Kline wasn’t able to answer them all. Also one thing I noticed was that there were people who had classes, so they were getting up and leaving. Even though I knew they had no choice, it still seemed a bit rude to the guest speaker. But overall, after this great convocation, I would love to go to another. It would be awesome to get an insight on more books that we have to read.