UPIKE students show the importance of community service
0“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others,” Mahatma Ghandi once said. The University of Pikeville’s mission charges the campus with “enhancing the educational, cultural and economic opportunities for Appalachia through … involvement in community service and humanitarian efforts.”
UPIKE seeks to expose students to many varied and unique opportunities, locally and globally. Moving UP, the Experiential Learning plan at the University of Pikeville, provides institutional support for students to apply their classroom knowledge to an off-campus setting in the form of internships, professional conferences, seminars, and workshop, service learning, as well as study away and study abroad learning. Receiving a combination of traditional pedagogical training and intensive firsthand experience is invaluable to students, and will prepare them for a global job market and multicultural communities. In full support of the most effective learning environment that can be offered, the faculty at the University of Pikeville is committed to student engagement and learning outside the classroom and in communities beyond. One such way this is accomplished is through participation in community service. Community service provides students with the opportunity to be a part of something that is bigger than themselves.
The UPIKE campus has shown a lot of compassion toward the local community. There are a number of ways that you can get involved. “Service to our community is essential to fully living life. Life is about service to others. Jesus said that he came not to be served but to serve and give his life as a ransom…so then for myself, a life well lived is a life of service. I would love to talk to any UPIKE students about how to get involved in the community through various service projects,” Rob Musick, campus chaplain, said. Sororities and fraternities have helped a great deal this semester with holding a non-perishable food item drive for the WestCare Emergency Shelter providing more than 600 items. There were also many clothing donations and other food donations previously for the shelter.
UPIKE students have not only given back to the local community but are making a mission to reach out to other communities such as the countries of Haiti and Mexico. In January, students went to Haiti, and recently, students returned from Mexico. “This wasn’t my first international mission trip, but the people were just as inviting and loved every minute we got to spend with them. It was a heartwarming week serving the Haitian community and worshipping alongside our Haitian brothers and sisters!” junior Kara Crowe said. Students are encouraged to help with community service when taking Musick’s New Testament course.
Students are required to put in community service hours at various places in Pike County as well as surrounding counties. More than 100 students have given back in this way. Students volunteered their time and hard work at the Autistic Children’s Center, Habitat for Humanity, local rescue squads, Appalachian Pregnancy Care Center, charity thrift store, local schools, Hazard Cancer Center, Pike County Animal Shelter and Hospice. “I volunteered in Betsy Layne, Ky. I helped deliver food to the homeless students that attend Betsy Layne High School. We delivered 25 baskets for Thanksgiving that had enough food to feed 12 people in each box,” junior Hillary Harkins said. This semester, people of West Virginia were faced with a tragedy when their water became contaminated. Not only did various organizations on campus help with these services, but the entire community came together for “Operation Rehydrate 304.” The campus provided bottles and jugs of water to the residents in hopes that it would better their situation that they had been put.
“Here at UPIKE, we accomplished something special together as a team. We took an ugly, bleak, helpless situation, and we made it our finest hour. Through our relief efforts and promotional efforts, we increased awareness of this water crisis on a grand scale. Personally, I’ve learned a lot because of this experience and my students have as well. It is when we give to others when we receive. I am grateful for my UPIKE family and for the fruits of this humanitarian mission. I am because we are. I didn’t do this. We did.” David Roby, assistant professor of Spanish, said.
There are two upcoming service projects that students can become involved if they wish to join the campus in giving back. They are helping with fundraising a 5K with Judi’s Place for Kids. The event takes place on Saturday, April 12; volunteers are needed from 7 a.m.-2 p.m. There is also a need for volunteers to help with a community egg drop and Good Friday outreach on April 18. For more information on how to get involved, contact Musick by email at Robertmusick@upike.edu.