Impacting the Community
PC: Levi Ventura
The 38th annual Project Impact launched on Thursday, Sept. 6 at 8:15 a.m. The students, faculty and staff of Union College began the community service event underneath the clocktower, where they ate a light breakfast and grabbed their T-shirts.
With 59 sites spread around Lincoln, there were enough opportunities to accommodate the over 800 people ready to impact the community. This year’s Project Impact coordinator was sophomore social work major, Tori Miyashiro. She, along with her campus ministries team, made calls to reserve the places to serve.
Miyashiro reflected on her time spent creating this event for the campus. “I learned to not go things alone, trust that God will have His hand on the situation and let Him be the threshold of reaching our community in awesome ways throughout the years.”
The community outreach opportunities were widely varied and included activities such as spending time at the Lincoln Children’s Zoo and cleaning up the yard of a woman in need. While most of the service opportunities involved cleaning of some kind, there were a few unique opportunities. One group played games with the residents at Lexington Assisted Living. Another group helped the Meals on Wheels team get food out to needy people in the community.
The Rees Hall resident assistant team gathered their efforts and headed to Fresh Start, a transitional home for women who are either homeless or have recently gotten out of rehab.
Racquel Amich, junior International rescue and relief major, commented on her experience. “We helped by cleaning and organizing several supply closets and attics that consisted of items for the women to use. We also had the chance to interact with the women who were presently staying there and hear their stories.”
Impacting the community doesn’t have to be limited to a day the school sets aside. There are many ways for Union students to continue volunteering their time on a regular basis. Campus Ministries can help guide students to areas where they can make a difference.
Yeimy Rodriguez is a junior studying business administration.