The many lovers of volunteer work came together on the 11^th Annual Day of Service, September 6^th, 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.

As children, we constantly heard the saying “don’t wish the time away.” Of course, being kids who had not experienced the struggles of adulthood, we constantly wanted to be older. In elementary school, I can remember thinking how great it would to be an adult. It was a world that I thought I knew so much about- a perfect world with no worry or struggle. There was no one there to say no or yell because “grown ups” were the elders. As it turns out, I was sadly mistaken.

As I walked into my dorm room for the first time, without my mom or dad by my side, I knew that I was officially an independent adult- to an extent. Unfortunately, the feelings of happiness and excitement did not rush over me as I imagined. I was nervous about being on my own and scared of the new challenges that I would soon face. I, of course, fell into my same naive thinking and wanted nothing more than for the time to pass quickly.

On Friday September 5, 2014, the first and second floors of our residence hall gathered into one common room for our first of many RA sponsored programs. We were set to watch the film 13 going on 30– one that I had never seen. I thought this movie was going to be a classic “chick flick” with no real meaning behind it, but filled with great entertainment nonetheless. As I sat on the floor, enjoying popcorn with 30 other girls, I was pleasantly surprised by the valuable lessons that this film brought out in each new scene. The idea of never wishing time away fit perfectly into the experience that we were and still are going through. Jenna thinks that her life is so tough. She tries to be a part of the “cool group,” hurting her true friends to get her way. Unfortunately, things do not go as planned and Jenna decides that she wants to be “30, flirty, and thriving.” Magically, her wish comes true. From the outside, her life as an adult may have seemed like the one that I had imagined as a child. However, from the inside, it was clearly far from perfect. After she sees what a disappointment her “adult” life turned out to be, Jenna returns to her normal, 13-year-old self. As she sits alone in the closet, Jenna realizes that she should enjoy her time as a child and be herself. This does not include being a part of the popular group, formally known as the “six chicks.”

Watching this film and discussing its meaning with all of my new friends helped me to realize that although college might seem a little scary and intimidating, it’s what a person makes of it. I can have one of the best experiences of my life here, and it’s up to me to make it happen. I shouldn’t wish my time away because, as I have found out before, I’ll live to regret it. As long as I am being myself and I am happy with the person I am, nothing can bring me down.

I’ve never been a very social adept individual, but sometimes I have to push myself to try new things so that I can grow and expand my horizons as a person. That’s why the Day of Service on Saturday, September 6^th was such an interesting and fun event, even if I had to get up early in the morning to arrive there on time and I wasn’t feeling very well. I was joined by three other girls, all upperclassmen, and we were guided by an inquisitive and friendly supervisor named Thomas. We took a van to a local park – well I slept most of the way because I have the sleep schedule of a bat – and made it earlier than expected, but not before other tents had been set up around the grounds. Unfortunately, the people who were going to help us were nowhere to be found and neither was the tent, so we camped underneath a nearby tree which overlooked a river, our hands under our chins and other blue plastic lunch bags beside us.

We decided to have an early lunch as we waited, and that soon turned into a getting-to-know-you session, with lots of stories to be shared and a few laughs to be had. I learned about places to eat, things to do, and what these girls did for fun, which made me feel happier than I had been. Finally our helpers came and we set up shop, being told that we had one job; to spread awareness of the Community Food Bank, which was the organization that we were volunteering for that day. She gave us flyers, pamphlets, fact sheets, and even a small bucket to collect donations that people may have for us. I was on the first right, feet slightly crossed, and I did what the Penguins of Madagascar had always told me to do; I smiled and waved. Several people passed by us, and I added in a friendly “hi” to my act, and that certainly got people to notice us and our stand, even if they didn’t stop by and take a look. However, when people did stop by, I gave them the general spiel that the supervisor had given to us, and my group members filled in the rest of the details.

After a while of explaining, I decided that I would write everything on one piece of paper to make it easier to explain, adding a dog and a happy smiley face doodle to it because I couldn’t help myself; I love to doodle. For the rest of the afternoon, I smiled, said hi, and held up the sign to get people attention. Overall, the people were really nice, with most already having prior knowledge of the food bank and participating in some way or another. A few people were snarky, though, joking that “you’re the food bank, so where is the food that you are giving to us?” We collected over $25 dollars in donations and even handed out flyers for Restaurant Week in November, which allowed the profits on the first day to be donated to the Community Food Bank.

Sadly, our day ended before we were able to convince everyone to donate, and we were replaced by a pair of children and their mother, which I think got even more attention than us. We were driven back – I slept again – and once we finally got back to Stockton around 2:30 PM, we said our goodbyes to each other, got our picture taken, and went our separate ways for the rest of the day. Meeting new people that day felt really great, and it felt greater to help people that are struggling to get a decent meal feed themselves through this food bank. It makes me think about how fortunate I am to have food readily available for me, either at home or school, and how my life would change if that were taken away from me.

On September 6, 2014 at 8 am, Stockton began hosting its annual Day of service, where various clubs and organizations plan various projects for us to choose to do. I arrived at the Campus Center 10 minutes before 8 to sign in, got a Stockton Serves T-shirt, and grabbed a cup of coffee and a muffin. After I sat down to fill out a waiver form, I met up with my Honors classmates and asked them what project interested them. They unanimously voted on WaterWatch, an on-campus project.  Since I wanted to work with my friends, I decided on WaterWatch as well. After breakfast, we went to the Board Room where the Day of Service council members gave us a brief lecture about the various projects. After the long lecture, we knew that WaterWatch is a community service project that is designed to keep the environment healthy.

Our 11- man squad was assigned to clean around West Quad, campus buildings A-J, the gazebos, the Arts and Sciences building, and the front and back of the Campus Center. Since we know that would take long for the whole squad, we devised a plan. Our 11- man squad was broken up into 2 mini groups: one of the mini groups were to clean the Arts and Sciences buildings, the gazebos, and A- F wings while the other mini group were to clean up the rest of the assigned areas. Even though we did not find that much trash, there were minor issues about cigarette butts. The gazebos were littered with cigarette butts.

Overall, the experience was fun. We all gave 100% dedication to doing the WaterWatch, not to mention, we socially bonded with each other and shared fun moments. It was a great way to demonstrate that we cared about the environment. After a day of hard work, we settled down at the Coffee House to get lunch and do a reflection about our project. We discussed the good things and the bad things about the project. By participating in this event, we all have understood what the true meaning of service is and what we can do to change the community around us.

On September 18, 2014, I volunteered at the Red Cross Blood Drive located in the Sports Center. It was a two day event, starting on September 17, but continued to the 18th. Students, Faculty, and any other individual that wanted to donate for a great cause came in and signed in. If they were approved, the individual would move to a blood donation table where they would lay down and a nurse would prepare them for their donation. After the donation process was complete and the individual was bandaged up, they moved over to a table where myself and a group of volunteers waited for the people who donated in which we would give them a candy bar, and their choice of orange juice or water. It was a delightful experience due to the amount of people that wanted to be there for a positive change in the world, but as someone who has never really helped out at a blood drive before, it was a slightly scary experience. For example, in my hour time slot there, two people passed out and it was truly frightening. Luckily the staff at the blood drive were very attentive and aided the individuals right away, constantly checking to make sure they were okay and even helped move them to a private table with a screen so the individual would not feel embarrassed. I really enjoyed my time at the blood drive as it was truly not something I experienced before and having it go to a great cause only made it better. Regardless of the very minimal frightening events I had seen there, I would recommend the experience to anyone who enjoys helping out.

Alisa Iacovelli

Life of the Mind – MWF 9:55

On September 16th, a rather creative event was held in the campus center.  The event was called “Build Your Own Fish Tank” and it was exactly what it sounds like… you got to build your own fish tank!  At my friends and I just walked by and did not give the event a second thought.  However once we saw everyone else with their neon colored fish tanks, we thought it would be fun to make one ourselves.  While taking a closer look, we noticed that not only did they have the fish tank section put up, but there was also a food section with all fish-themed foods such as Goldfish, fish sticks, and gummies in the shape of fish.  This was a cute and innovative idea to keep people interested in the event after they got their fish, or while they were waiting in line.

There was a large number of people at this event, making it chaotic at first.  The most chaotic part of the event came when the staff realized there were more people at the event than they planned for.  At this point, the staff asked everyone to line up neatly, and they started to hand out fish bowls to everyone in line.  This allowed everyone in line to know if it was worth waiting or not.  Unfortunately, my friends and I were at the part of the line where they ran out of fish bowls and we were told that there was not enough for us.  We decided to leave since there was no point for us to stay any longer.

About an hour later, my friends and I had a craving for pizza from Primo’s in the campus center.  While walking through, we realized there was about 20 fish left, but only 3 people still in line.  We asked the staff member if we could have one of the fish and he told us that we could take as many as we wanted as long as we provided our own fish bowl.  This made our night complete!  We took three goldfish in a bag and walked them back to our dorm.  We gave it to one of our floormates to hold while we took a drive over to Target for fish supplies.

Unfortunately, the $21.30 that we spent on the fish was a waste because they only lasted several days, however it was definitely a fun experience!  We went on an emotional rollercoaster from this event:  starting out skeptical, getting excited, being disappointed, then excited again made an ordinary night something different.  I don’t know many colleges that let you build your own fish tank, and I must say that I thought this event was extremely successful and creative.

On Wednesday, September 17th and Thursday, September 18th the American Red Cross sponsored a blood drive at Stockton. It was held in the Sports Center from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., where many, including myself, volunteered to give up their blood to someone else who needs it more. It is where everyone, including students and staff, come around to help a never ending cause. Most of the donated blood goes to help burn victims, surgery patients, cancer patients, and many others who are in need of blood transfusions. There are billions of people in this world, and only a small fraction actually donate, making each person count.

When I signed in I had to read a packet on what it means to donate blood, and who receives the benefit of my donation. It outlined what to expect from donating blood and any side effects that may occur. The packet also highlighted the importance of eating a good breakfast that is rich in iron. It also noted that my blood would be tested, and if anything came back positive they would notify me. Also, it had a long list of precautions against donating if I have been in contact with anything that might contaminate and risk the blood I would be giving to other people.

    The medical technicians were very courteous and took many precautions before I donated to make sure I would be safe and that those receiving my blood would be safe. When I was donating, the nurses were there the whole time, making sure I was okay. I laid down for about ten minutes, until I had a pint of blood filled, plus some test tubes to be used for testing. They precautioned me against working out and heavy lifting, and to drink plenty of water throughout the day. The volunteers offered food and drinks after I donated to help balance my sugar levels. The American Red Cross also provided opportunities for other students at the school, and allowed for those with nursing majors to volunteer and work the blood drive. This being my third blood donation, I have been through this process before, but this was more organized and thorough in my opinion.

On Saturday September 6^th 2014 Richard Stockton College held its 11^th annual Day of Service from 8:30am to 3:30pm. The goal of the Day of Service has always been to promote community service both on-campus and in the communities surrounding Stockton. Different clubs and organizations prepared unique service projects and students were able to choose what service project they would like to be a part of.                         Perhaps, one of the most popular choices was a suicide awareness and prevention project, organized by the club Active Minds.Over twenty students gathered around the Campus Center coffeehouse area in order to help Active Minds prepare for their upcoming suicide prevention week in October.                                                                                   One aspect of the project included making posters for the suicide walk that will occur on Sunday October 5^th. Each group designing a poster was given a different fact or statistic that related to suicide or depression awareness. Meanwhile, another group within the project was to cut and pin ribbons for the suicide walk. Ribbons varied in color as each color represented why the participant would be walking. Also a third group was working with shoes. The Active Minds club previously collected shoes to be displayed on the walk with the number of pairs coinciding with the number of college suicides in the last year. The students assisting with this part of the project were finding matching pairs for the shoes and tying them together to be displayed for the walk.                                                                                                                        Afterwards, Active Minds held a brief reflection session. Each person who helped with the project shared his or her experiences with depression and suicide in their lives and offered ways to battle the stigma in day-to-day routine. All left with a sense of fulfillment and knowledge that they were promoting a fight against one of the most deadly disorders in teens.                             

The Day of Service

I attended Stockton’s 11^th annual Day of Service on September 6, 2014.  This is a one-time event that takes place each semester at the college with both on campus and off campus service projects that volunteers can sign up for.   These projects are designed to help not only Stockton, but the community around Stockton.  It is also a great opportunity for the student volunteers to appreciate their school, community, and their own hard work.

At the Day of Service, there were many events to choose from, such as Books without Borders, playing Bingo with the elderly patients at Bacharach Rehab, doing a clean-up around the college, and helping out at a horse ranch.  My friends and I decided that we wanted to all do an event together to make it more fun.  We chose to volunteer for Waterwatch, which is the clean-up around Stockton, because it had many spots that still needed to be filled and many of us had done clean-ups before.  We met up with everyone else who was doing the clean-up, split into groups of 10, and got our assignments.  My group was assigned to clean college walk and the area around the campus center.  We each took a trash bag and a pair of gloves and set off to clean up our campus.  We picked up may different types of litter, but the most common was cigarette butts; we found them mostly around the campus center, nowhere near a designated smoking area.  They were the most annoying thing to pick up because there were so many of them and they are so small.

Even though picking up the cigarette butts was annoying, overall I found the event enjoyable; I was with my friends, we played music and sang, and we helped make our school a better environment.  And I gained a better sense of appreciation for the school and keeping it clean.  When I see someone about to throw their trash on the ground, I remind them to throw it in a trashcan or I pick it up and throw it out myself.  I also value the hard work it took to clean up campus; it was a really hot day and everyone was sweating, but seeing the finished product made it all worthwhile.

On September 6, 2014, I participated in Stockton’s Day of Service, in which various organizations gathered and offered multiple volunteer tasks to hundreds of people. It was a great chance to get out and see what actually needed help around the community and on the campus itself.

Walking around the main room, we had about 8 people in our group, and for some reason none of us wanted to separate, so we found an empty table with a sign that read “Water Watch”. At first, I thought we might go to the water plant of Atlantic County and see some internal procedures…but I was far off. Instead, this was an organization that focused on keeping Stockton’s fine campus clean of litter and pollution. Regardless, this was bound to be a productive day. But first things first… coffee!

Once we were divided into groups, the work commenced. We were handed a nice pair of work gloves, trash bags, and luckily I got the Grabber-Thing-A-Ma-Jig that picks up trash with the squeeze of a trigger. (I must tell you, I got very proficient with that tool…I could snipe a piece of trash from a good 4 feet away, and it was very satisfying). Once the equipment was distributed, we walked outside through Stockton’s silver arches and then we realized an inevitable obstacle…the heat. It was 80 degrees and rising, and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. Time to break out the water bottles!

As far as the trash collection goes, it was a very long, hot, and overall very rewarding process. With each individual cigarette butt or gum wrapper I picked up, I felt like the Earth was already a significantly amount cleaner. Even though that’s not the reality, it is nice to think that if everybody reduced their litter and picked up after other delinquents, the environment would thrive exponentially better. I truly felt like as a whole, the people who volunteered their time that day made a significant difference to themselves, the campus, and the community. I plan on attending this event for many years to come, and I urge others to do the same…every little effort counts in the grand scheme of things.