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Religious Life
Community Service
Thursday Thought from Flannery Peterson--Co-coordinator of Cub Scouts For those of you who don't know, I help run a Cub Scout pack for young boys at Hope Station every Wednesday night. This year has been my first year running the program, and I went into it a little nervous that things wouldn't work out. I had absolutely no idea what it meant to be a Cub Scout. With that said, it has been almost a semester and a half...and I have definitely found Cub Scouts worth every moment. Regardless of the fact that the kids' attendance did not start off regular and despite the fact that occasionally you want to tear your hair out because you will have 5 7-year old boys running around a tiny room not using their indoor voices like you ask them to...at the end of the day, I walk away exhausted but satisfied. What I didn't realize was that these little boys would be teaching me just about as much as I hope I'm teaching them. There are times where they drive me crazy and refuse to listen, but then there are those rare and precious moments where one of the boys will absolutely touch my heart. This week we took them to see Disney on Ice: Princess Wishes at the Giant Hershey Center. I was wary at first because we weren't sure how a bunch of 7-year old boys would take a 2-hour long show about Disney Princesses, and of course I was afraid that some of our leaders would be bored out of their minds. BUT, by the end of the night everyone was happy, including the kids! We had to pretty much tear them away to leave before traffic got too bad. All the way back to the vans (a far walk in very cold and windy weather) they were gushing about how "cool" the show was. This is why CommServ is important to me. If I hadn't happened to stumble across such an amazing organization, I would never have found the opportunity to work with Cub Scouts. If I hadn't started to work with Cub Scouts then my week would mean a little less to me without the smiling faces of those boys, no matter how crazy they can be. If it weren't for CommServ then there would be several young boys and girls of Carlisle missing an important aspect of their lives, and without CommServ there would be too many Dickinson students to count who would not be having the college experience they should. Nothing is more fulfilling than knowing you can make a difference. CommServ enables us to find a way to make that difference. Happy Sunday,
FYI- CARES has a bakesale today from 3:45-5:30! Stop by! Lower level HUB! First semester we took the CARES kids to the sports emporium for a day of video games, ice cream and roller skating. We spent about two hours at the sports emporium, but afterwards the kids were coming up and telling us that it was "the best day of their life." We were all so touched and happy to give them a fun day out! Since then the kids are a weekly reminder that its the simple things that matter. Things such as a smile, hug, or nice comment can do a world of good and I think we all forget the power of simplicity. CommServ, however, is a daily reminder that simply helping another person can really change another's life. Most of us work with children with the goal to make a change in their life. I enjoy being a part of CommServ because it is enlightening to see that everyone embodies the same drive to put others before them. We are a unique organization that goes back to the basics of lending another a hand. Andrea Accardi
Today is a day filled with chocolate, couples, teddy bears, hallmark cards, kissing, hearts, red and pink. The day is supposed to be all about love, however we have taken it to mean the love of a boyfriend/girlfriend/spouse. Valentines Day is a day that you love if you're in love and loathe if you are not. In my opinion, Valentines Day has to do with a much greater love than this. I am talking about the love that one has on a day-to-day basis. The kind of love that people lead their lives with, through every interaction. This holiday should celebrate all of the love that we can give one another. The love that comes with a quick smile to a stranger, an unexpected act of kindness or through helping those in need. When I think about doing community service, when I dig down deep and ask myself why I spend my time working with the CARES kids each week – I realize that it all comes down to one thing, love. It comes down to the love in my heart, the desire to give my love to these young children who take it so gratefully. I work with the kids every week to offer them a smile, warm words and to receive their over-flowing love. All of us who chose to work in Commserv offer and receive this love on a weekly basis. So when you find yourself sneering at the happy couples holding teddy bears and flowers today, remind yourself that this holiday is actually made to celebrate you! For you have a love that transcends that hallmark card – you have the love in your heart that will not be thrown away, forgotten about or fade once the day is over. You have the love that lasts for a lifetime. So in celebration of Valentines Day today, smile at a stranger, give a warm welcome to a newcomer and spread that love that so fortunately fills your heart. ~ Vanessa Nesbitt~ Thursday Thought from David Munn -- Co-Coordinator of STW 1/31/08 Thursday Thought from Greg Sunshine-Coordinator STW DAT (Disaster Action Team) 1/24/08 Thursday Thought from Cameron Kerr- Co-coordinator STW 11/29/07 For this week's Thursday Thought I figured it was appropriate, with finals week and the associated stress imminent, to consider the issue of perspective. At Dickinson it is unfortunately far too often that we hear people complaining about such inane things as having to walk *all* the way to the library to print a paper, that their mattress is too hard, or that the cafeteria food isn't up to their standards. It often seems that these Dickinson students lack a comprehensive understanding of what real life outside of the limestone walls has to offer in terms of true adversity. Many of the children of Ginger Hill, Jamaica walk two to three hours to school every day. The 'Lost Boys' refugees of Sudan, when they were our age or younger, were fleeing government-sponsored militias and swimming alligator-infested rivers just to stay alive. Thousands of Americans serving overseas, many volunteers younger than most of us reading this paragraph, have more important things to worry about in their everyday lives than the anguish of Starbucks being closed. There are millions of people worldwide that struggle through each day simply trying to survive to the next, and don't worry about the shameful trivialities that our "Generation Me" agonizes over. However organizations such as CommServ give me hope. They actively demonstrate that there are some of us that aren't solely focused on the "me" factor, and are feeding our desire for a greater understanding of life outside of Dickinson, while simultaneously engaging and giving something back even though no one has told us to do this. But even within CommServ, many of us are guilty – including myself – of not fully acknowledging our privileges and freedoms, or truly recognizing that it could *always* be worse. Whenever I catch myself feeling hard-pressed by an essay due date or stressed by an upcoming exam, I force myself to remember one particularly meaningful perspective I have been taught by one of my instructors: Sergeant First Class Garcia, a man that never made it past eighth grade but can tell you more about real life than any professor with an expensive doctorate could even try to. With the simple, insightful introspection that only someone who has survived hundreds of near-death experiences in combat can possess, he often reminds us simply that "the sun will always come up tomorrow - drive on." Cameron Kerr '09 Thursday (Friday) Thought from Kristen Walker-Co-Coordinator ESL Field of Dreams 11/2/07 Hi everyone! Sorry this has turned into a Friday thought, but I didn't get the questions to think about till Wednesday night & then yesterday I was completely busy. So when I started thinking about what it means to be a part of CommServ, one of the first things that came to mind was just being involved. But really I know it's much more than that. Some of my friends are involved on campus, but don't leave campus for much other than dinner or shopping. Actually, the first month or two of my freshman year I spent most of my time on campus – and I felt like I was in a little Dickinson bubble isolated from the rest of the world. So when I started going to ESL each week, it was really a relief to be with people other than college students. And to me, that's really one of the great things about CommServ – I can look around the room and know that everyone there is really passionate about being involved not just in Dickinson but in the larger community. For me one of the most meaningful moments was last spring, at one of our final ESL lessons of the year. One of the women I'd worked with a lot all year told me that she had noticed that she was understanding more of the English she heard at work. She'd been working hard at the lessons all year, but I know that she struggled with understanding English spoken by native speakers simply because it's so fast. So when she said she understood more of the conversations at work it really made me feel like I had been able to make a difference in her life and in the community. Enjoy the weekend! Kristen '10 Thursday Thought from Kim Blank -- Coordinator of Girl Scouts One of the ideas Sayo provided for me as a suggestion for this Thursday thought is "What does Commserv mean to me?" At face value it might seem like everyone would say it means helping the community (whether campus or Carlisle) and giving back. I'd have to say that getting involved in a Commserv program my freshman year was probably the best thing I could have done. Meeting Karen Powroznik at a party and having her accost me and guilt me into doing Girl Scouts turned out well. Not only was I able to meet girls in the community and work with them and enjoy their company, but it opened doors for me to meet all sorts of Dickinson students I might otherwise never have run into. I think one of the unique things about Commserv is that the organization is uniquely half independent and half team-oriented. While we each run our own organizations, we're all part of a greater whole. It seems like this year the idea of camaraderie and teamwork in Commserv are going to be a primary focus, which is great! Through Commserv I've been able to meet a lot of amazing people and do a lot of amazing things, for which I am very thankful. P.S. Tgialmostf! KIM Thursday Thought from Sayo Ayodele--Tri-Coordinator CommServ Leadership Team Hey CommServ, So this is today's Thursday (nite) thought because I was procrastinating on purpose because I did not really know what to write. This week has been really long and stressful as I am sure it has been for all of you. I got a total of 8 hours of sleep for the whole week and I felt like I was in a constant state of speed ...going from midterm to meeting to mid term.... During weeks like this, and many weeks throughout the school year, it is hard to remember why we do the things that we do...why do I work so hard at school that I sacrifice sleep? Why do I dedicate hours of my time to doing CommServ? I asked myself this question throughout the day yesterday and today and I realized that it all comes down to passion and to doing what you love. There is really no other explanation. It is hard to explain to other people, especially people who are not in CommServ. Sure it's nice to get 8 hours of sleep every night and feel like you don't have to constantly check your planner to find out what you have to do next. But there are special moments in Commserv that you feel really make it worth your while and I have had many of those in my day. I am sure you have or will have many as the year goes by. Share them with others or keep them to yourself, the most important thing is that you have them, understand them, and cherish them. Tonight I was at the Dreamcatchers opening pizza party. The moment I walked into the room, all the kids screamed SAYO!!! A lot of them know me because I coordinated the program last year. Kira and Alice (Dreamcatchers coordinators) started talking and I said "Is it weird that I miss this chaos? " Middle schoolers yelling, mentors yelling to mentees "No yelling". Kira then said something that made it click for me. She said jokingly "some like skydiving as a rush, but Dreamcatchers is mine." So I end on that note...this year Commserv is my rush and my anti-drug. Hehe. And I hope it can serve that same purpose for all of you. Don't do drugs, do CommServ! Tacky I know! Have a lovely fall pause!! Sayo Ayodele Leadership Team |