9/11 National Day of Service 2020
9/11 Day of Service Recap
Montclair State University’s annual 9/11 Day of Service looked a little different this year due to COVID-19, but that didn’t stop us from serving; if anything, it made us more eager to give back to our community. This year, the event took place the day after 9/11, on Saturday, September 12th, 2020. Although the day of service was mainly virtual, we did have a few on-campus activities. Following the guidelines of mask wearing, social distancing, and our ‘Hawk-Check’, volunteers were able to serve on-campus. We had a total of 4 activities and about 30 people on-campus; including Rocky and his helpers, the photographer, Bonner leaders, day of service coordinators, and of course, our volunteers. The on-campus activities included card making for a local nursing home (Canterbury Village), writing letters to alumni, preparing for winter at the campus community garden, and yoga; a self-care activity led by two of our Bonners via Zoom. In addition, we had a total of 154 volunteers that completed service remotely. Our virtual opportunities included ‘Adopt a Nursing Home’ – writing letters to staff and residents at a local nursing home; ‘Aspire Tomorrow’ – sending messages of hope to those who may be struggling with mental health; ‘Be My Eyes’ – helping those who need help reading or viewing something through video call; ‘Color a Smile’ – coloring uplifting images and mailing them to those overseas, senior citizens, and anyone else in need of a smile; ‘Letters Against Isolation’ – creating letters to those living in a nursing home where visitors are not allowed; ‘Penguin Watch’ – counting penguins, chicks, and eggs to help understand population change; ‘Video Call with Canterbury Village Residents’ – interacting with residents through Zoom while sharing stories, playing games, pet sharing, etc.; ‘VocaliD’ – recording and donating your voice to those that may not have one; and lastly, ‘Words of Thanks’ – writing letters to those on the frontline. Altogether, we had 176 volunteers that completed 600 hours of service in one day.
The Center for Community Engagement would like to thank all of those involved; including Office of Residence Life, Center for Student Involvement, Office for Social Justice and Diversity, Student Government Association Inc., University College, University Communications and Marketing, Office of International Engagement, Office of Annual Giving & Alumni Engagement, Campus Police, Student Center Programming and of course all of our volunteers that made this year’s day of service SUPER successful given the current circumstances.
Volunteers expressed …
“I learned that it is important to live your life to the fullest!”
“I learned how to have stronger public speaking skills, inspiration, and life lessons from the residents at the nursing home.”
“I really liked speaking about mental health and being able to help those trying to combat it.”
“Community service can be so much more than just raising money & donating, we can do simple things such as counting penguins as a way to give back too.”
“I learned how to start my own garden!”
“I learned that it is easier to help others than I thought and that there are ways to do it all around us.”
“I learned that every little act of kindness counts.”
“I enjoyed coloring because I needed a destressor.”
“9/11 day of service was the first event I had the opportunity to partake in as a freshmen red hawk. Throughout my four years as a student at Montclair and now as a staff member, I continue to participate and gain perspective on the needs of our community. While COVID-19 presented some changes to the event, we were still able to come together to serve. Virtually volunteering with Canterbury Village gave us the opportunity to connect with the elder population during a time they may feel increasingly isolated. Together we engaged in trivia and games as well as story sharing. Although we weren’t able to serve in person, the heartwarming feeling of helping community members was still present. It was an honor to have the opportunity to speak with elders who possess such a vast amount of knowledge and wisdom.”