Aurora students spend day giving back
Painting offices, cleaning vehicles and hanging yule decorations.
Those were some of the ways 50 Aurora University students celebrated the season by giving their time and energy in the first “Give Thanks. Give Back” project Dec. 4.
The campus day of service was sponsored by AU's Wackerlin Center for Faith and Action.
Led by the Rev. Jonathan Dean, assistant professor of religion and Wackerlin Fellow, students pitched in at four Aurora social service organizations.
Work locations were St. David's Episcopal Church, where students cleaned World Relief vehicles used to aid local refugees; Mutual Ground shelter for abused women and children, where students decorated several Christmas trees and recreation rooms for the holidays; Elmwood Nursing Home, where students decorated a Christmas tree; and Hope for Tomorrow, where students painted, vacuumed and moved furniture at offices of the facility for homeless veterans.
Additionally, at a luncheon following their morning of volunteering, graduate and undergraduate students put their pens to work.
They joined Amnesty International's Write for Rights global writeathon, the world's largest letter-writing event, by authoring demands that the rights of individuals be respected. This year, the organization is shining a light on 12 cases around the world.
“In the post-Thanksgiving season, we wanted to offer students the chance to give back to the Aurora community and our campus neighbors,” Dean said. “Students came together, regardless of background, religious affiliation or spiritual conviction, simply to express our common humanity and our connectedness to one another in concrete, practical ways.
“The way in which our students embraced the project, the joy with which they served their community, and the enthusiasm and compassion they demonstrated were a delight to behold.”
Several students added their reflections on their morning of service.
“The morning of service with the Wackerlin Center for Faith and Action was a great way for Aurora University students to give back and connect with the Aurora community during the holiday season. Helping put decorations up at Mutual Ground was a great experience,” said David Aquino, a sophomore from Aurora.
Nikita Patel, a senior from Vernon Hills, said, “Volunteering at Mutual Ground was an amazing experience. It was great to decorate and bring happiness to others — and I was able to do it while working with fellow AU students.”