Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

A Day to Give Back

COURTESY SARAH JONES Last year’s Community Service Day offered Georgetown students an exceptional opportunity to interact with and support the local community in a variety of ways.
COURTESY SARAH JONES
Last year’s Community Service Day offered Georgetown students an exceptional opportunity to interact with and support the local community in a variety of ways.

Orientation and the beginning of a new school year mean that both new and returning students have the opportunity to decide how they want to devote their free time this year. Almost every year since 1997, the Center for Social Justice has been using this kickoff period to introduce students to community service opportunities with its annual Community Service Day.

“[CSD is] an introduction to service and social justice issues in Washington, D.C., for first-year students,” Sarah Jones (COL ’09), a Georgetown graduate and the CSJ’s current special projects coordinator, said. “Through the connections freshman and transfer students make with site leaders, GU faculty and staff and community members, CSD participants learn about the many avenues through which they can pursue social justice work at Georgetown, in Washington, D.C., and beyond.”

CSD joined New Student Orientation after leaders were inspired to show new Hoyas Georgetown’s strong tradition of serving the surrounding D.C. area. The event focuses on service and reflection under the slogan, “One D.C., United in Service.”

The first year of CSD centered around 11 service sites and boasted around 300 student participants. In 2011, over 10 years since its inception, the impact of CSD became more tightly focused on the neighborhood of Ward 7, in accordance with the university’s comprehensive Ward 7 Initiative, a long-term service outreach partnership between Georgetown volunteers and various education and health organizations in the area. Last year, CSD sent participants to 14 different community organizations and attracted over 650 GU student and faculty volunteers, as well as 100 community partner volunteers. This year’s event is expected to be equally well attended. CSD volunteers will be sent to 13 different sites to address a variety of needs. Homes for Hope, Inc. is an organization that provides permanent housing, transitional housing and supportive services to the chronically homeless. D.C. Prep is a charter school working to provide quality education to children despite the extreme income disparity in D.C. Several outdoor spaces are also on the list, including River Terrace Park, Fort DuPont Park and Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens.

“Community Service Day is a celebration of service work and Georgetown’s partnership with the Ward 7 community,” Jones said.

Shreya Barthwal (MSB ’17) participated in CSD last year and recalls the event as a very positive experience.

“It was my first year and I wanted to meet people with similar interests,” said Barthwal. “It was really cool — you got to match your interests to what you wanted to do. I’m really interested in the environment and they sent me to a district near Anacostia and we did clean up. We took weeds and other invasive species out of ponds, trying to reduce the human impact in the area. It was a lot of fun and I met a bunch of awesome people.”

But it’s not all work and no play.

COURTESY SARAH JONES This year’s Community Service Day will include many of the same features as last year’s, such as the barbecue  for the community and volunteers after completing a number of services to support the community.
COURTESY SARAH JONES
This year’s Community Service Day will include many of the same features as last year’s, such as the barbecue for the community and volunteers after completing a number of services to support the community.

A highlight of the day is the Community Service Barbecue and Celebration, which follows the day’s service events.

“After the day’s service projects, students, faculty and staff come together to celebrate service and Georgetown’s larger commitment to living as men and women for others,” Jones said. “Volunteers will enjoy performances from student groups, including GU Jawani and Corpus Collective; a photo booth with an inflatable Jack the Bulldog; fun tables and activities from CSJ programs and student groups; and reflections from GU students and staff.”

“It was really cool to have the barbecue at the end,” Barthwal said. “We met people in other groups and got to hear about what they did.”

But while the program is only hosted once a year, it is meant to encourage a desire to give back not only throughout college careers, but throughout student lives. The CSJ emphasizes that there are plenty of ways to stay involved all year long.

“CSD aims to engage first-year students with Washington, D.C.,cin a meaningful manner, introduce students to avenues to pursue service and social justice work at Georgetown, and strengthen Georgetown’s relationship and commitment to Ward 7,” Jones said.

Students can continue to donate their time and talents by working with younger children as tutors and mentors through D.C. Schools Project, D.C. Reads or the After School Program. They can also advocate for their community in one of over 50 CSJ student organizations. In other words, there are an immense number of ways that Georgetown students can dedicate some of their time to the wider community.

There are opportunities to combine service and academic work via the Community-based Learning or the Fourth Credit Option for Social Action programs. Another popular option is to go on an Alternative Spring Break trip to learn about and serve a community outside of D.C. Hundreds of current students help out in the community and on campus through involvement in Campus Ministry, the Center for Multicultural Equity and Access, the Kalmanovitz Initiative for Labor and the Working Poor and many other university departments.

This year, Community Service Day is Saturday, Aug. 30. Take advantage of this opportunity to impact the community, see more of D.C. and spend time with like-minded peers. You can register online to be a volunteer or a site coordinator. The kickoff celebration and registration begins at 9:30 a.m. in Red Square and the barbecue will be held afterward on Copley Lawn.

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