By the time many college students groggily rolled out of their warm beds on Saturday morning, students participating in this year’s annual Service Raleigh Day had been hard at work for four hours.
Bright and early at 8 a.m., students congregated in the Brickyard to commence a day full of service.
They were greeted with breakfast, a free shirt and two motivational speakers: Jill Bullard, founder of Interfaith food shuttle, and Provost Larry Nielsen, who spoke on the importance of serving the community.
Candice Epps, Service Raleigh’s public relations contact, said the group accomplished their goals to give back to the community.
“This gives students a day to give back to Wake County and Raleigh,” she said. “It’s inspirational and motivational.”
Although this event was one day of service, organizers hope this will encourage students to volunteer more in the future.
“Service Raleigh gets people off campus and into the community to establish a lifetime of service,” said Scott Boone, co-chair of Service Raleigh along with Lauren Bosweln and Abby Lithgo.
The 1,500 students that participated in this year’s Service Raleigh dispersed to their assigned off-campus locations with a few remaining to work on campus. Projects included landscaping, planting trees and picking up trash, among others.
Volunteers were sighted from Pullen Rd. to Dan Allen Dr. carrying trash bags and wearing white T-shirts with a special Service Raleigh logo.
“The skyline of Raleigh on the T-shirts emphasizes the focus on volunteering in the community,” Lithgo said.
Volunteering in the community and giving back was exactly what three freshmen focused on while providing their services on Hillsborough St.
“We’re trying to make college a prettier place,” Andrew Bradley, a freshman in biology, said.
Picking up others’ trash caused students to appreciate cleanliness a bit more.
“I’m sure God didn’t make the ground and say, ‘Trash, here,'” Jessica Chaplain, a freshman in biochemistry, said.
Volunteers realized that service was simply helping.
“Service is helping others without expecting anything in return,” Segen Fishastion, a freshman in biology, said.
Originating in 1998, Service Raleigh is a full day of citywide service in Raleigh and Wake County organized by Park Scholars and Student Government.
