“I don’t know what your destiny will be, but the one thing I know; the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who will have sought and found how to serve.” – Albert Schweitzer
As privileged college students with bright futures and unending dreams, we have a view of reality that is naturally skewed. We attend a beautiful university with outstanding professors and have four years devoted to the pursuit of knowledge.
The daily struggle to survive for many of the people in our community and throughout the world is an issue very few of us in the SMU community have to deal with.
Yet, to find poverty in this world, we do not have to look far beyond the SMU campus.
There are people in our Dallas community that do not have enough food to eat and do not have a place to live.
The daily struggle for survival is alive in our community.
As capable and valuable members of our community, we must take the responsibility to contribute our skills and knowledge to the welfare of the people with whom we share our city, state, country and world. We must take the initiative to step out of the comfort of the SMU campus and enter our Dallas community through service.
This weekend, I had the opportunity to volunteer with a group of SMU students serving lunch at the Dallas Salvation Army at the Carr P. Collins Social Service Center. The volunteer opportunity was organized by Essete Workneh, the Leadership & Community Involvement office, and co-sponsored by SMU’s chapter of Amnesty International.
On Sunday morning, seven students traveled via SAMSA vans to the Collins Center. We suited up with rubber gloves and hairnets and were put to work. We set-up the cafeteria and served a well-balanced lunch to approximately 200 needy individuals in the Dallas community.
It was easy, fun and meaningful.
I loved speaking with the people we served and learning from the people who worked at the Salvation Army full time. It was great to give back to my community by providing such a simple service.
There are real needs throughout the Dallas community. The SMU community has the responsibility to do what we can to serve the needs of those around us. This can be through serving food at the Salvation Army, building a home with Habitat for Humanity, bagging food for the North Texas Food bank or one of the other thousands of opportunities for volunteering all around the metroplex.
Many service opportunities are available that are organized by student organizations, programs and departments at SMU.
Find a service opportunity that interests you, grab some friends, and get started. You can make a difference in this community. Take action; provide a service.
Jordan Johansen is senior history, music and anthropology triple major. She can be reached for comments or questions at [email protected].
