Day of Service!

Incoming Freshman: It's not too late to sign up for the 14th annual Day of Service!  (you may also fill out page 57 of the Big Book of Forms)

The registration tables at Day of Service 2009, outside of Finney Chapel.

What is Day of Service, you ask?  AWESOME, says I.

Day of Service is a day designated during the Oberlin College freshman orientation for newly-minted freshman to explore the greater Oberlin community by completing a day long community service project at various community partners.   It's a great chance to meet other freshman, learn about Oberlin, and get involved and make a difference.  (Facebook group for 2010)

Make new friends!  Icebreakers from Day of Service 2009

I went upstairs to visit the Day of Service Coordinator, the delightful Christina Pope, an Oberlin alum who majored in Comparative Literature and participated in Day of Service twice--once as a freshman and once as a site leader.

"What I think is so great about Day of Service," Christina told me, "is that it gets first years out into the community the first week and gives them opportunities to meet community members."  Last year a record 371 students registered; the BCSL is hoping to get more this year. (for more stats, visit the OberlinServes Wiki)

Increasing student participants isn't the only thing Christina is working on; she's also been forging new relationships with Day of Service community partners: "I'm really excited about the new sites we're working with this year--Eden Vision and the Lorain County Community College community garden."  She also has a few more intriguing partnerships in the work that I promise I wouldn't reveal.

Day of Service 2009 participants discussing their project over lunch

Some past projects have included:

• Paint rooms at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Lorain County in Lorain.
• Stain and seal benches and weed at Common Ground, a nature center.
• Deep cleaning at Family Promise of Lorain County house in Elyria.
• Weed and mulch for Firelands Division of the Western Reserve Land Conservancy.
• Clear brush on a trail in Collins, Ohio, with Firelands Rails to Trails.
• Learn about biofuels and help with projects at Full Circle Fuels.
• Weed and harvest organically grown food at George Jones Farm/New Agrarian Center.
• Help Lorain’s Harrison Cultural Community Center clean and organize.
• Clean kitchen for Hot Meals Program at Christ Episcopal Church.
• Accompany retired residents of Kendal at Oberlin to an art exhibit in Cleveland.
• Help clean Lorain Metro Parks’ newest site in Avon Lake and learn about the construction process from concept to completion.
• Work in rose garden at Metro Parks-Lakeview in Lorain.
• Weed, trim rose bushes, clean, and organize at the Lorain County Tropical Greenhouse and Museum Association near Amherst.
• Assist Main St. Oberlin in sweeping, scraping, weeding downtown district.
• Visit residents at two Murray Ridge group homes.
• Paint Oberlin Early Childhood Center classrooms.
• Paint, landscape, weed at Oberlin Public Library.
• Landscaping work at Oberlin city schools (Eastwood, Prospect, Langston, and Oberlin High School).
• Prep’ work for a new garden at Oberlin Senior Center, wash front porch, and take looming lessons.
• Landscaping work at Martin Luther King, Jr. Park with Rotary Club.
• Help Save our Children in Elyria clean and organize the Center.
• Repackage food at Second Harvest Food Bank of North Central Ohio
• Clean and help maintain the Frank Lloyd Wright designed Weltzheimer/Johnson House.
• Pass out flyers and inform local businesses about Planned Parenthood program at YWCA Women’s Center of Lorain. 
• Landscaping work at Mt. Zion Community Garden.
• Weeding and harvesting from the community garden at Oberlin Community Services.
• Landscaping at Plumb Creek Bridge.

I can't express enough that it really is a great opportunity to become involved.  A lot of the projects are weeding and landscaping; this might seem dull, but it's important.

Weeding! Day of Service 2009

Many times the sites don't have the manpower or resources to complete the landscaping/gardening themselves, and having a tidy yard goes a long way towards enhancing the community.  Besides, with 10-15 people working on the project it's simply astonishing what can be accomplished in a few short hours.  I served as a site leader for 3 of my 4 years at Oberlin (Lorain County Tropical Greenhouse, Oberlin Senior Center, Oberlin Head Start) and I loved it every time.

Now stop reading and go forth to the BCSL website--register now! (or fill out page 57 in the Big Book of Forms!)

Registration, Day of Service 2009