The Office of Student Life and Civic Engagement (SLCE) will host its final service events of the Winter 2018 semester with a concluding installment of a “Service in the City” event on April 19, and an “Earth Day of Service” scheduled to take place on April 22.
According to Andrea Dobo, graduate assistant for SLCE, both of the events were created to provide students with opportunities to serve their South Florida community.
“Students have the ability to step out of their comfort zones and see a perspective of Fort Lauderdale that they may not have had before,” said Dobo. “These opportunities help students relate to what they see on the news or read in the books, and are able to see that this is their reality, too.”
Dobo explained that the Service in the City events specifically aim to allow students to help people who make up the large homeless population in Fort Lauderdale through SLCE’s partnership with HOPE South Florida, a Christian-based non-profit organization that provides support services for the homeless.
Participating students will meet at the Shark Circle at 5 p.m. on April 19 where they will be transported from campus to the HOPE South Florida location to assist with the meal service.
According to Emily Konicki, the program assistant for SLCE, students would typically sign up to volunteer for this event by visiting SLCE’s Orgsync page to complete the form. However, as of April 12, all available volunteer spots have been filled.
“This event [Service in the City] has been filled, so students will need to email slce@nova.edu to find out if any spots have opened up,” said Konicki. “[However], students can sign-up on OrgSync in the ‘Events’ tab under the Student Leadership and Civic Engagement portal [for Earth Day of Service].”
In celebration of Earth Day on April 22, students can participate in a clean-up effort at the Fort Lauderdale Beach from 8:15 a.m. to 1 p.m.
“Students will be assisting in cleaning up the beach and then will have about 30 minutes of free time with food after our reflection,” said Konicki. “Food will be provided, but they should bring water, sunscreen, a hat, sunglasses and a towel — they can bring other items as needed.”
Konicki also recommends that participating students wear a bathing suit under their clothing.
Dobo adds that transportation will be provided. Students may not meet at the location. Konicki mentioned that those who wish to utilize the provided transportation should meet SLCE representatives by the flagpole in front of the Horvitz Administration building at 8:15 a.m. on April 22.
“Some students who want the opportunity don’t always know where to look when searching for service, so this [the events hosted by SLCE] helps them in terms of just wanting to go out and help,” said Dobo. “Since we provide transportation, it also helps students who may not want to drive or do not have a car to drive.”
“The overall goal is to help assist students with the education of social responsibility,” said Dobo. “Civic engagement is a topic that students don’t always have the best experience with, so as an office we [SLCE] try to provide these opportunities as much as we can for students.”
For more information about the events hosted by SLCE, email slce@nova.edu or call 954-262-7195.
