Service Day is a special day for Lipscomb students, faculty and staff to gather together to serve their community.
This year, Service Day celebrated its 10 year anniversary with over 900 students, faculty and staff volunteering at multiple locations. All Wednesday afternoon classes were cancelled so students could participate. Service Day was directed by Keela Smith.
Students began the afternoon by meeting with their service groups and having lunch in Bison Square, and then left to go to their service locations.
Service opportunities varied from sorting clothes at the local ThriftSmart to helping out the School of Music on campus.
Students serving at ThriftSmart worked on sorting various items before they will be put out in the store to be sold. 100 percent of ThriftSmart’s profits go to charities such as “The Belize Project,” New Hope Academy, Mercy Children’s Hospital and “African Leadership.”
“It was certainly interesting sorting through all the things ThriftSmart has. It was good to know that it was going to a good cause,” freshman Sarah Baxley said.
At ThriftSmart, Baxley sorted through a wide assortment of items, and said she even found a can that was labeled that it contained an armadillo.
Sophomore Lauren May said it’s great to see how ThriftSmart’s cause helps other people all over the community.
“Thrift Smart has a lot of unique stuff, and it’s nice to see that things other people are throwing away are going to help other people in multiple ways,” May said.
A vocal music education major, sophomore Sarah Sharp served with the School of Music on campus.
“Our project was to help organize the choral music and instrumental music library that had gotten a little bit out of control. We had to go through and pull music that we wanted to get rid of, alphabetize it and pick some loose pieces of music off the floor or off the top of filing cabinets.”
Junior Bailey Settles also served the School of Music, and said she was glad she could serve a place on campus with Dr. Rhodes and Dr. Wilson.
“I actually feel good about it because I know that they really needed the help, and I’m really glad that I was able to help,” Settles said. “I’m glad I was able to serve and do something that really needed to be done for something here on campus.”
Service Day is made possible by Lipscomb leaders like Smith, Lucas Allen and Jacky Gomez who are seeking to serve the community.
“It’s an honor to get to organize such an incredible event,” Smith said. “Lucas Allen and Jacky Gomez put countless hours into planning and coordinating this event and did an amazing job. Seeing our students serve the city with joy and humility is a beautiful thing to witness.”
Additional reporting by Colleen Casner
Photo courtesy of Lipscomb University