Bright and early at 8 am on January 18, 2016, the Stockton community joined with local volunteers to celebrate the birth of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Being a commuter that lives in Galloway, I have attended the MLK Day of Service four consecutive years prior but I was excited to take part in it this time as a student of Stockton. I went with a few of my girlfriends. Once we signed in we headed towards breakfast at the food court. Stockton provided a delicious breakfast with an awesome array of options from donuts to various breakfast sandwiches to coffee, orange juice, and tea. I always like to comment on food (if you have read my previous blogs) because the food at Stockton is unmatchable to some other universities I have visited and I always want to pay tribute and show appreciation towards the staff.
After breakfast we were directed to go to the campus center event room. I was actually taken aback by how good of a turnout there was; there were so many people that the chairs were not enough and many had to stand to the side or towards the back. It is always very encouraging seeing people, especially my peers, show up eager for a cause, this one being to spread service and pay tribute to the life and impact of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The events that followed included: several speakers, honoring members of the community for their service, singing, and informing people of the different projects and locations. I loved the singing which was led by Mrs. Beverly. She always brings an outburst of energy that spreads throughout the entire room. Along with at least 200 other people, I sang “We Shall Overcome” and really took in the words, using them as motivation and energy fuel to get through the rest of the long day ahead.
There was en extremely wide range of projects to choose from, both on campus and off-campus. I don’t quite remember them at the moment but they were all awesome. I decided to stay on campus and work with Circle K creating some cool crafts for people at Atlanticare Hospital. I spent most of my time sewing large heart shaped pillows for older patients and those who are going into same day surgery. I made sure to put as much care into the pillows because I know they definitely make a difference and have calming powers. Other people worked on creating little sock babies for infants in the hospital. The idea behind them is that parents carry the sock babies around with them and when they leave the child will have the sock baby and be able to smell their parents and be comforted. Valentines day cards were also being made and I think they were dedicated to the troops.
After making crafts, we all received a lunch package then moved on to an informative portion of the day. The lesson we learned was on the being a bystander. The bystander effect is a psych term that describes what happens when people in passing see something bad happening to someone but do not help because they assume someone else will help or that is not their responsibility. This little workshop was designed to make people aware of the bystander effect and to stand up in situations where a victim needs help. Something I remember from the lesson was “The 5 Step Decision Making Model” which goes as such:
- Notice the Event
- Interpret it as a Problem
- Assume Personal Responsibility
- Know How to Help
- Step Up!
With this, I feel more equip to provide help in times of need.
Following the lesson on the bystander effect as a reflection session pertaining to the MLK Day of Service. There were questions to be answered with people are your table as well as an online survey.