From mandatory service hours to improving the local community, there are countless reasons for students to seek out service opportunities. We interviewed three students participating in service clubs who provided insights about the benefits of giving back and how to get involved.
Q: What service club are you in?
Cassie Brinlee, Junior: Service Club
Katie Vaughan, Senior: Let Others Play
Rory O’Reilly, Senior: L’Arche Club
Q: What activities do you do?
Cassie Brinlee: The big ones and my favorite ones that I’ve done in that club are making sandwiches and care packages for homeless shelters. The other thing that’s really cool about [the care packages] is that if there’s a surplus of them, you can take them home, so you can put them in your car. For a few weeks after [the club’s meeting] I had stuff in my car so that if I saw someone on the side of the road, I’d hand it to them.
Katie Vaughan: We put bins out at local communities and collect sports gear and then we donate it to local communities, as well as overseas communities, like in the Caribbean and Africa.
Rory O’Reilly: In L’Arche Club we try to bring students out to the L’Arche Farms and support the community out there, either with farm work or setting up for events, and bringing awareness to special needs.
Q: What compelled you to join?
Cassie Brinlee: First of all, I was friends with the leaders and wanted to help support them. Also, I’ve always been really interested in service. I’m in Scouts and campus ministry. I often find myself [asking] whenever I have extra time ‘Why do I have extra time? I should do something important,’ and service I think is a really great way to do that.
Katie Vaughan: My brother started [Let Others Play] after his Courts for Kids trip to Panama, and then I went on a Courts for Kids trip…to the Dominican Republic and we built a sports court. The kids, they were playing with balls that were being taped, and I just wanted to give back to them because they were so kind to us.
Rory O’Reilly: I’ve been involved with L’Arche ever since I was a kid. It was something I was definitely interested in. You feel like you are giving back to the community and people around you.
Q: Benefits of service/ Why should others join?
Cassie Brinlee: You’re directly helping somebody. Every hour of service you put into the community helps at least one person. Additionally, I feel it helps me grow closer to the community which makes me want to do more service. Being part of service clubs also makes me want to be in more leadership positions. It makes you feel really fulfilled.
Katie Vaughan: It just feels really nice to give back to the community. Being able to give sports gear to other kids and seeing their smiles and the joy they have playing with it makes you feel good, because you are helping other people that might not have the opportunities like you do.
Rory O’Reilly: You should definitely join L’Arche Club because we offer service hours for it, and it feels rewarding when you help people out who aren’t as well off as you.
Q: Something you’ve learned from participating in service.
Cassie Brinlee: I’ve learned that [service] is really not as difficult as people make it out to be and you can do it in small bite-size chunks. You don’t have to do it alone. I can do it with my friends so it’s growing my community and strengthening it.
Katie Vaughan: Give to everyone. If you make an effort to do something nice to someone, they will appreciate it.
Rory O’Reilly: Through L’Arche I have learned to appreciate what God has given me. I definitely appreciate being more welcoming to everyone. Being blessed with the situation that I’m in and being able to give back to the community is the most important thing to me.
Bonus tips for getting started with service:
Cassie Brinlee: You can work your way up to bigger things. To people who have been involved less with service, there are much smaller ways to help. You can be doing things you already like doing.
Rory O’Reilly: Just sign up for clubs. Try to reach out to [leaders of the club] and ask when they are hosting events and when you can get involved.
