Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’” With this in mind, the University of South Carolina strives to provide students with opportunities to serve others.
The Leadership and Service Center is a prime starting place for any USC student looking to find volunteer opportunities.
Located on the second floor of Russell House, the Leadership and Service Center is equipped with professionals eager to teach others about service. One opportunity provided by the Leadership and Service Center is Service Saturday.
“Service Saturday is one of the signature community service events at the University of South Carolina,” leadership coach Luis Sierra said in an email. “(It provides) students, faculty and staff the opportunity to give back to the Columbia community at various sites, once a month.”
According to Sierra, students can easily get involved by registering online and then checking in at Davis Field on that designated Saturday. On average, 200 volunteers participate at each Service Saturday, allowing the groups to do a lot of good in the community.
Often times, students are inspired by the work they do on Service Saturday and decide to continue the tradition of excellence in the field of community service.
“Many students who participate in Service Saturdays for the first time tend to return for more Service Saturdays throughout the year,” Sierra said in an email. “In fact, most of our site leaders start out as simply Service Saturday volunteers who felt empowered to continue giving back and continuing the ripple effect of service among their peers.”
Along with short-term service commitments, the Leadership and Service Center allows service opportunities for students who are searching for a longer time-commitment. For those who want to volunteer longer than one Saturday morning, the Alternative Break Program can help.
According to the Leadership and Service Center website, “Alternative Break Trips provide a unique opportunity for Carolina students to make a difference during the university’s fall, winter, and spring breaks.”
“During these trips, students travel in groups to new areas where they collaborate with local service agents to meet specific community needs," the website reads.
While the Leadership and Service Center is a tool to help students plug into service, the opportunities do not end there.
The University of South Carolina also allows students the opportunity to join service sororities dedicated to community service. Epsilon Sigma Alpha provides students with both sisterhood and service.
“Epsilon Sigma Alpha puts on two service events each semester for our philanthropies,” Katherine Heyward, fourth-year public relations student and vice president of Epsilon Sigma Alpha, said in an email. “We get involved in anything we can,” she said.
While their service is broad, one of the main focuses of ESA is St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Heyward recalls one of the sorority’s service trips to the hospital.
“To see the emotional impact it had on the students and the hospital was such an amazing experience,” Heyward said in an email. “To get a chance to actually see how our service was helping those in the hospital and see how appreciative they were was something I will never forget.”
ESA is so involved with St. Jude’s that the hospital has honored the sorority for their hard work and caring hearts.
“In honor of the $190 plus million dollars we have raised, there is a floor dedicated to ESA in the hospital,” Jasmine Raybon, fourth-year sports and entertainment management student and president of Epsilon Sigma Alpha said in an email.
For students who do not anticipate joining a service sorority, the sisters of ESA always welcome extra volunteers.
“We always encourage the student body to come out and participate in/support our events we put on each semester,” Heyward said. “Also, a lot of the service projects we participate in are open to the public to volunteer and we always welcome anyone to come volunteer with us!”
No matter how students chose to serve volunteer time, there are service opportunities all across campus. Each student has the ability to help the community and make a difference.
“Through all this, students are able to grow and learn about the potential they have to better their community and become inspired as they realize what they are capable of doing with just a few hours on a Saturday, and fellow Carolinians serving by their side,” Sierra said.