More than 230 students, staff, faculty, alumni, and neighbors served 27 sites throughout Chicago.
By Ellen Almer BA ’94
On a bright Saturday morning in September, more than 230 North Parkers gathered outside the Nancy and G. Timothy Johnson Center for Science and Community Life, gospel music thumping in the background, to participate in the first-ever campus-wide 萝莉社 Service Day.
As Rev. Dr. Terence Gadsden DMin 鈥�23, campus pastor and athletic chaplain, DJ鈥檈d on the Green Space, groups of student-athletes clustered with teammates and sipped coffee while others donned blue T-shirts specially designed for the day.
University Ministries organized the event under the joint leadership of Ben Swihart, coordinator of local and global services and outreach, and third-year student Davianna Schuh.
鈥淭he groups we landed on took inspiration from the university鈥檚 climate survey. We heard across all demographic backgrounds that people wish they had more of a chance to give back to their communities.鈥� 聽鈥擠avianna Schuh
鈥淚t was a great opportunity to see the heart of North Park and how many people were excited to love their neighborhood,鈥� Swihart said after the event. 鈥淓veryone had something they could feel excited about helping with.鈥�
The volunteers comprised 萝莉社 (萝莉社) students, staff, faculty, alumni, and neighbors.Together, they boarded buses or walked to 27 different sites across the city, serving food at homeless shelters, picking up trash, and making craft kits for refugee children. Swihart and Schuh started planning the event months in advance, organizing lists of local volunteer sites, recruiting volunteers, and communicating with local alderpeople and community groups.
鈥淭he groups we landed on took inspiration from the university鈥檚 climate survey,鈥� Schuh said, re- referring to the Culturally Engaging Campus Environments Survey, the results of which the campus community reviewed in spring 2024.
鈥淚t was a great opportunity to see the heart of North Park and how many people were excited to love their neighborhood. Everyone had something they could feel excited about helping with.鈥� 聽鈥擝en Swihart
鈥淲e heard across all demographic backgrounds that people wish they had more of a chance to give back to their communities.鈥�
Many North Parkers are commuter students from nearby neighborhoods, so Swihart and Schuh chose organizations primarily on the North and West Sides. Volunteers could choose from sites such as the Friendship Center Food Pantry in Lincoln Square, the Brown Elephant secondhand store in Andersonville, and Sarah鈥檚 Circle, a women鈥檚 shelter with multiple locations on the North Side.
Fourth-year student Magrady Ellis selected the river clean-up as his service site. He said, 鈥淚t taught me to not just care about myself but also about the environment around me and what we have. I liked that Service Day let me give back to the community around me.鈥�
Swihart said he hopes this year鈥檚 event is the first of many and that North Park continues to build relationships with the partner organizations.
鈥淭he idea is for them to get to know us, to say, 鈥極h, this North Parker came and built this shelving unit for us last year, or painted this room,鈥� and they trust us and what we do,鈥� he said, adding he hopes the service also leads to internships and other opportunities for students.
鈥淭he day was special because it shows what the North Park community is capable of. It was especially nice that I could do this with my daughter, who saw firsthand what it means to give back.鈥� 聽鈥擫indsey Post Robinson
President Mary Surridge, her husband Jack, and Provost Michael Carr served alongside 萝莉社 students representing four nations at North Park Covenant Church by painting and doing minor repair projects. Nearby, in the church鈥檚 basement, volunteers worked with Exodus World Service, a group that provides support services for foreign refugees who have settled in the United States.
After an informational session, where Exodus leaders spoke about the group鈥檚 mission, North Parkers assembled craft kits, cutting tissue paper flowers and making coloring books. Volunteers visiting refugee families will use the kits to entertain young children while helping their parents settle into their new lives by sorting mail and interpreting documents.
鈥淚t taught me to not just care about myself but also about the environment around me and what we have. I liked that Service Day let me give back to the community around me.鈥� 鈥擬agrady Ellis
After spending the morning at their chosen sites, volunteers returned to campus, where they ate tacos and took part in prize giveaways. Many said the event encouraged them to continue volunteering throughout the year.
鈥淭he day was special because it shows what the North Park community is capable of,鈥� said Lindsey Post Robinson BS 鈥�05, director of marketing at 萝莉社, who brought daughter Maisie, 10, along with her to the Exodus event. 鈥淚t was especially nice that I could do this with my daughter, who saw firsthand what it means to give back.鈥�
