Inasmuch Day Recap

On the morning of April 14 a familiar sight filled Academic Circle: professors holding project signs, bleary-eyed students bee-lining for the donut table, and a sea of matching t-shirts.

As the smell of Sherry’s donuts wafted through the brisk air, the fifth annual Inasmuch Day was about to begin.

Inasmuch volunteers gather on Academic Circle.
Photo by Sara Acosta

“But Inasmuch Day is not about us,” said Campus Minister Faithe Beam as she offered encouragement and motivation with opening remarks to the crowd of volunteers. “It’s about loving our neighbors and meeting their needs. Today is about giving ourselves to the community.”

Campus Ministry’s Terry Tucker, ministry associate and coordinator for serving and sending ministries, echoed that the goal for this year’s Inasmuch Day was two-fold, to expand impact and to communicate the importance of putting others first.

“We wanted to increase our project base as well as see a broader volunteer base regarding the number of faculty/staff versus students.  We saw this happen this year as we added five new projects and approximately 60 faculty/staff participate over the 25 from 2011,” she said.

“My hope was also that our volunteers would see the significance in serving others as Jesus calls us to in Matthew 25:40. To whatever area of service we are drawn, it involves the lives of others.”

Tucker added that the five new projects were Appleworks School, the Harnett Food Pantry, S.A.F.E. of Harnett County, Triton High School, and Kicking4Hunger.

Campbell students at Cape Fear Christian Academy.
Photo by Billy Peterson

While pictures tell a thousand words, the numbers for Inasmuch tell a story of their own. One of only two universities in the country participating as a campus body, Campbell’s Inasmuch Day engaged 450 volunteers in 30 projects that served approximately 23 thousand people. The day’s work and projects are valued at $10 thousand.

Campbell further expanded Inasmuch Day by incorporating it into Accepted Students Day, giving high school seniors seriously considering Campbell a glimpse into life as a student. The approximately 200 accepted students volunteered with Kids on the Run and Backpack Buddies, and made children’s busy bags for hospital emergency rooms, hygiene kits for Beacon Rescue Mission, and treat bags for Facilities Management.

Arc of Harnett County
Photo by Billy Peterson

An event of such magnitude doesn’t just happen. In January Tucker convened a team of 14 faculty, staff, and students to organize the day.

“The logistics include working with community partners to secure projects, enlisting projects leaders, online registration, assigning 450 volunteers to 30 projects, project leader training, media, service day check-in procedures to insure all teams are equipped to move out into the community, and much more."

"This was also our second year of working alongside Admissions to include the accepted students” she added.

  

Beam echoed that the day also wouldn’t be possible without stellar volunteers.

“I am so proud of our students, faculty, and staff who volunteer to wake up early on Saturday to share their time and resources with the community,” she said. “Days like this make me especially proud of Campbell.”

Junior biology pre-professional student Erica Hammond is one of those volunteers, one of many to host Arc of Harnett County’s developmentally disabled children and their families at the Irwin Belk Track for an afternoon of inflatables and snow cones.

Project Leader Melissa Psaltis
Photo by Courtney McGowan

“I chose the Arc project because it’s a great way to give back to the community and to interact with special needs kids to help them feel accepted and special,” she said. “They are just such optimistic kids and a joy to be around.”

Arc project leader Melissa Psaltis, a student in School of Counseling, said that the fun and games go beyond entertaining the kids.

“It means as much to the parents as it does to the kids. Seeing their kids smiling and happy means a lot to them,” she said. “And we wouldn’t be able to do this without all the volunteers.”

While the volunteers sign up with a motivation to bring joy to others, project leader at Beacon Rescue Mission and physician assistant student Jessica Robbins found that what goes around comes around on Inasmuch Day.

“When we went to pay for lunch after finishing the project, our waitress came up and told us that ‘good deeds do not go unnoticed’ and that a couple had seen our shirts and paid for our group’s lunch and left before we could thank them or see who they were.  It is so touching to know that people recognize what we are doing and appreciate it,” she said.

Arc of Harnett County
Photo by Courtney McGowan

MBA student Rebekah Barker led one of this year’s new projects, a partnership with local non-profit organization Kicking4Hunger, whose mission is to run free soccer clinics in exchange for food donations that go back to the local food bank.

“It was so rewarding to put on this Kicking4Hunger camp in conjunction with Inasmuch. We ended up raising 127 pounds of food. Gabe Whaley, founder of Kicking4Hunger, mentioned that the food we raised was enough to feed five families of four for an entire week—it was more than we could have ever asked for,” said Barker.

Campus Ministry Graduate Assistant and divinity student Tyler Ward summed up the Inasmuch experience.

“Inasmuch allows us the chance to serve with the greater community. It’s a great opportunity for the campus community and our neighbors to serve together,” he said.

By Sara Acosta, AmeriCorps VISTA with reporting by student Courtney McGowan

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Click here to view the complete photo album on Facebook.

For more information on Inasmuch at Campbell, e-mail Terry Tucker.

SHINE Spotlights Service

What do you get when you combine a heart for service, strong leadership, and a cool name? SHINE, the newest Campus Ministry student group formed for women by women.

Junior Jessica Beaver is the president of the ministry whose focus is serving the community together. She shared with us a little bit about the new group and how interested Camel-ettes can get involved.

Junior Jessica Beaver,
President of SHINE

What inspired you to start a SHINE chapter here?

I was asked by the director of Women's Missionary Union of North Carolina (WMUNC) to start a SHINE group. I also wanted to see a place on campus for women to come together in service and fellowship.

Where did SHINE come from?

There isn’t a long history to SHINE. It was an idea thought up about five years ago by a group in the WMU. They came up with the name and what SHINE would look like. Our name means Serving God, Helping others, Inspiring believers, Networking community, and Experiencing God. We are the first campus to have a SHINE group, so we are making history as we go. It’s really exciting to be part of something that is ‘history in the making’.

What is SHINE's mission?

The mission statement of SHINE at Campbell is “A Voice for the Voiceless.” Through SHINE, God is giving a voice to those who are hurting, searching, praying, growing, learning, and serving. We strive to work as a body of Christ, uplifting, enlightening, and encouraging one another as sisters in Christ. Basically, we are a missions-minded group. We focus on different mission opportunities, which range from getting involved in events on campus, helping in the community and supporting missionaries around the world.

What does SHINE want to do on campus?

We want to build a community of women that have a passion for serving God and worshiping together. God has already done amazing things on this campus and we are excited to see what God will do through SHINE.

Why are you excited about SHINE?

There are so many things I’m excited about! I am really excited that we are a new group and God is creating this amazing ministry through everyone who comes to SHINE.

Interested in SHINE? Here's the skinny:

• Meetings take place every Monday at 8 p.m. in the Memorial House.
• The atmosphere is casual, like a coffee house.
• The women do a service project once or twice a month.
• E-mail Jessica with questions or for more information.

Fall Service Highlights

If you've seen the Christmas decorations at Target already, you know that with the changing of the leaves in October comes preparation for the holidays. 

The same goes for community service-- promotions for myriad donation drives bombard us during the season when we're already trying to give to those immediately around us. 

Everybody can be great... because anybody can serve. 

You don't have to have a college degree to serve. 

You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. 

You only need a heart full of grace. 

A soul generated by love. -- MLK Jr.

Service agencies begin their drives early to make sure they have enough time to meet their goals and then sort, package, and distribute the donations to their clients. So while you may not even have a Halloween costume yet, agencies that serve the community are already thinking of how to meet the especially stressful holiday and cold weather needs of our neighbors.

Campbell is no exception. Check out this guide to what we've got going on between now and Christmas break. If you would like your event to be featured on the blog, e-mail Sara Acosta.

Kiss the Camel

October 11 - 22

Campus Activities Board's Community Outreach Committee and Special Events Committee are sponsoring a fundraiser for Heifer International, which provides sustainable support to rural third-world families by donating livestock to that family. 

To participate in the fundraiser, look for designated jars in Marshbanks, the Oasis, Quiznos, and after CUW. Drop money in the jar representing the faculty/staff member you'd like to see kiss a camel. The options are: Dr. Kesling, Dr. Bazemore, Dr. Martin, April Paszkiewicz, Dr. Lopez, and Dr. Broadhurst.

Fore more information e-mail selangston1005 or z_uriostebautista0421, or visit the Kiss the Camel Facebook event.

Campus Food Drive

October 15 - November 15

When the Harnett Food Pantry closed recently, more than 275 families, or 1,000 people, had to look elsewhere for emergency food supplies. 

To help restock the Pantry and to help feed our neighbors, Campus Ministry is sponsoring a University-wide food drive. Any non-perishable food items can go in the designated bins located in the Oasis, at Marshbanks, and in the lobby of Turner Auditorium. 

For more information e-mail Sara Acosta or check out the Campus Food Drive Facebook event. Click here to learn more about food insecurity and poverty in Harnett County. 

The Community Christmas Store

November 16, 17, 18

Carter Gym

The Community Christmas Store will serve Harnett County families unable to afford Christmas gifts for their children, aiming to relieve holiday stress for low-income families in our area. In its inaugural year, the Community Christmas Store will serve 131 children in 53 area families. 

That means we need your help! Donated toys must be new, between $10 and $15, and for any age range between infant and teenager. Campus Ministry will gladly pick up any off-campus donations. On-campus donation locations are: Marshbanks, the Student Center, Taylor Hall, Wiggins Library, Lundy Fetterman Lounge, the Anniversary Gala, and the Homecoming Football Game.

Click here to volunteer for the Christmas Store. We need child caretakers, gift wrappers, Spanish interpreters, and more! For more information contact Terry Tucker.

Operation Christmas Child Collection Week

November 14 - 21

Rumley Center

Campbell University is proud to serve again as a Harnett County collection site for Operation Christmas Child, a project of Samaritan's Purse. Student, faculty, and staff volunteers have stepped up to collect and process shoe boxes full of Christmas toys that a child in a third-world country will receive. 

Visit the Samaritan's Purse website to learn more about how to pack a shoe box or to follow your box on its journey around the world. For more information contact Terry Tucker.

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A CELEBRATION OF FAITH, LEARNING, AND SERVICE

Make service part of Campbell's 125th Anniversary Celebration! 

The Campbell community will dedicate 125,000 of service this  year. To report your hours to Campus Ministry use this form.

Summer Reading: Community

[  To read the what and why of the Summer Reading series, click here. ]

Community is a hot word in the non-profit sector, in political speeches, and sometimes in church pulpits. We find it in so many different jargons because community is essential maintaining and growing, well, the world.

You may think of community as a group of people who share a hobby, form a Facebook group, or go to your church. Technology and the world becoming a much smaller place has morphed community into a diverse and flexible idea, applicable in many settings.

Community can be a neighborhood,
people who live in the same area.

Community can take place online
where people have the same interests.

Community can form around people
who share a set of religious beliefs.

In the world of all things service, "community" generally means people who live/work near each other geographically. For example, "the Campbell community" means people who live in Harnett County, in Buies Creek, or those who work at Campbell. Either way, Campbell's existence affects them all and ties all those people together.


"Looking In, Reaching Out" spends a good bit on the idea of community in the second chapter because understanding a community is so key to serving the community. Or, more precisely, "Thinking about the varieties of communities and the nature of community ties can help you be more precise in understanding what you mean when you plan to work in, with, or for the community." (Page 23)


After all, you wouldn't pack a swim suit for an Alaskan adventure. You would want to understand your environment and prepare accordingly. 


The chapter offers a few great activities on community, and the best perhaps is called "Images of Community," a mental exercise designed to teach perspective with your imagination. It sounds abstract but it makes a good point. I would encourage this exercise for any lesson related to understanding another point of view:

So how does all this tie into service?  Really, community affects many more aspects of life than service. Understanding your community will help you appreciate its people, traditions, and goals. It will help you see the world differently. But when it comes to service, knowing your community will mean you know its strengths, weaknesses, and then how your talents can weave those together for good.

Extra, extra! Check out Relevant Magazine's article on community.

Source: "Looking In, Reaching Out." Campus Compact, 2010.

You are a piece of the pie: thoughts from a conference

You learn something new every day. In the case of Campbell's service learning staff, we learned a lot of new things yesterday.

Three professors and I attended the annual PACE (Pathways to Achieving Civic Engagement) Conference at Elon University. It's an opportunity for service learning professionals at NC Campus Compact member schools and their VISTAS to come together and share ideas about service learning. Think of it as a one-day think tank about service learning in higher education.

Leaders in higher education and service learning veterans shared remarkable words on the future of higher eduation and how vital service is to its survival. We heard a lot of anecdotes, statistics, and goals, but what I took away from the day was this: each student at each school is a piece of the pie. Pie is just a metaphor because I think everyone likes pie, but what I really mean is that each student at each school has a part to play in making the world a better place. I don't mean a fuzzy wuzzy "better place" where everyone hugs everyone for no reason and we all color before going to work in the morning. I mean a "better place" that accomplishes social justice, feeds all of its kids every day before school, and has recycling bins at each restaurant.

We learned about service efforts (service learning and community service) from different independent universities, public universities, and community colleges. Some concepts are working for them that we might practice, just as we're doing a few things they might benefit from. Everything in history started with someone testing out an idea.

I help myself understand concepts with pictures, so during one of the speeches I decided that the results of service function as the ripples in a pond. An act of service lives far beyond the time we spend serving, its legacy working outwards away from the person who first performed the act of service. If you've seen the tear jerker "Pay It Forward," you know what I'm talking about.

For someone with a lot of compassion or zeal to help others, wondering where to start can be daunting. Natural volunteers might want to fix everything with their efforts but realistically can only help one breath at a time. So, where does one start? Where you're most needed. Serving food at a shelter or reading to at-risk third graders isn't going to alleviate world poverty or put a plug in the O-zone between now and lunch time tomorrow, but those acts of service will start a powerful ripple effect that will pulsate through you and those who see and experience your service. Maybe some day your actions will lead to solving global issues. You have to start somewhere.

What act of service will start your ripple effect?