Suffolk University students and clubs hosted its 28th annual Service Day for the Greater Boston area through multiple acts of community service April 9 through April 11.
As part of Service Day, 11 campus-based organizations and clubs organized and volunteered in community service, which included: The Chess Club, National Association of Black Accountants, Circle K, Black Student Union, African Student Association, Athletics, Human Resources, Home Away From Home, the Office of Student Leadership & Involvement and the Service Day Council.
This year, there were nine community partners: Greater Boston Food Bank, Community Servings, Food Link, Victory Programs, FriendshipWorks, New England Center and Home for Veterans, Jumpstart, Elevate Youth and the Emerald Necklace Conservancy Shattuck Visitor Center.
Notably, compared to last year’s Service Day, the number of campus and community partners wass down. Last year, there were 19 community partners and 15 Suffolk clubs and organizations.
There were two similar volunteer events April 9, one hosted by the Suffolk University Police Department and another hosted by the Chess Club. In partnership with New England Center and Home for Veterans, volunteers joined SUPD in making wellness cards for veterans in the Frank Sawyer Building. At the same time, the Chess Club partnered with FriendshipWorks, having volunteers make cards for the elderly as a means to end elder isolation.
The following day held more in store for Service Day, with eight more community service opportunities. Students volunteered with Victory Programs — a harm reduction program — to assemble safety and prevention kits.
NABA and Elevate Youth joined together to celebrate in the spring weather, having volunteers play disc golf with Cathedral High School eighth graders at Borderland State Park.
As with previous years, the partnership with Greater Boston Food Bank had students volunteering to help address food insecurity. Similarly, Alpha Sigma Alpha and Circle K partnered with Community Servings, sending volunteers to Jamaica Plains to prepare meals for critically ill members of the community. ASA hosted volunteer opportunities that were focused on diminishing food insecurity in Roxbury.
Saturday, April 11 was the final day of Service Day. Circle K partnered with the Emerald Necklace Conservatory to clean up the Emerald Necklace, which is a 1,100-acre chain of nine parks linked by parkways and waterways that runs through Boston to Brookline. This includes the Boston Common and Public Gardens, both parks that are frequented by Suffolk students due to their proximity to campus.
Suffolk students were able to register for these volunteer opportunities through SU Connect. They could learn of the community service opportunities through emails sent to their Suffolk University emails as well as flyers put around various places on campus.
