When first-year residence students arrive in Halifax from across Canada, they’re not only joining 2,200 other students living on campus, or the 18,000-plus students at Dal in total — they’re now part of a community of nearly 400,000 individuals who call Halifax home.
And what better way to get to know your new home than by giving something back to it.
Residence students joined forces with a number of local organizations last Saturday for Community Day, a ResLife event designed to introduce students to Halifax and the benefits of engaging with their surrounding community. While the weather was overcast, the spirits of the students remained bright.
“I think it’s important to get involved aside from academics, sports and other clubs and societies,” said Tanisha Garing, a first-year student who spent her afternoon prepping playroom walls to be painted at the Halifax YWCA. “I’ve been brought up being influenced by contributing to my community and it’s a great way to meet people.”
Tanisha wasn’t the only one to feel this way. The mentality to give back was shared by several other students who had the opportunity to volunteer at various organizations who partnered with ResLife for Community Day, including Ronald McDonald House, the Discovery Centre, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), Feed Nova Scotia, Common Roots Urban Farm and Habitat for Humanity NS. By volunteering just four hours of their time, students were able to make considerable difference for these organizations through hands-on work and raising awareness.
Supporting good causes
Alex Murphy, a first year student who learned about the event during O-Week, spent her afternoon supporting MADD in raising awareness about the impacts of impaired driving. Gathered in the parking lot of the Barrington Superstore, students collected donations, handed out red ribbons, and educated the public on how to recognize an impaired driver. While Murphy hadn’t volunteered with the organization before, the stories of those affected by impaired driving struck a nerve.
“You see the pictures of people who were killed by drunk driving and the years that they lived,” she said, pointing to a poster displayed where students were set up. “And there’s a picture of a baby with the year 2008-2008. That really makes you realize.”
Jenna Mosher, a group leader for Community Day who also volunteered with MADD, echoed this sentiment. “A lot of people are touched by impaired driving, but when you think about it, that’s only one picture of one person. The impact of that goes to so many more people: families, friends and even just the community as a whole.”
Mosher, who also volunteers regularly with the Girl Guides of Canada, felt Community Day was an easy and accessible way for students to get involved and stay involved. “If you’re thinking of getting involved with an organization, you get four hours to try it out to see what type of work they do and if it’s for you,” she said. “A few hours really do go a long way.”
Making a contribution
A few streets over, students at the Ronald McDonald House on Tower Road were able to see the positive impact of their volunteer work first-hand. Students had the opportunity to go grocery shopping, cook and serve a meal to people who were staying in the house, and help out with cleaning or other odd jobs.
For Kayly Askin, a group leader who has participated in Community Day since she arrived in her first-year, her volunteer choice was highly personal. “I picked the Ronald McDonald House because when I was younger I had the opportunity to live in one in Toronto and I think it’s a really great organization,” she said. “A lot of the students maybe didn’t know that the Ronald McDonald House was even here and now they do which is great.”
Alexandra Lum, a first year student from Toronto also volunteering at Ronald McDonald house, thought Community Day was a good way to meet people in addition to getting involved with the community. “This was cool because Dal gives you an opportunity to do more than just school, and being here everybody is so accommodating to us so it’s nice to give back.”
Work that’s appreciated
Although the duration of Community Day was a brisk four hours, the efforts of the students certainly did not go unnoticed.
“We are so appreciative,” said Wanda Hill, the facilities and intake manager at the YWCA who volunteered along with the students. “Dal’s been a great supporter of the YWCA and we’re so appreciative of all the volunteer hours that go into a centre like this especially. Every set of hands on site makes a huge difference.”
From the student’s perspective, most agreed this wouldn’t be their last brush with volunteering during their time at Dal.
As Alex Murphy put it: “Giving back is so important, and if I’m going to be here for four years, I might as well do what I can to make the community better.”
YWCA, MADD and Ronald McDonald House photos: Nick Pearce
Urban Roots and Discovery Centre photos: Ali Seglins