Club combines service and armed forces
Students who are looking to make a difference in the community through service don’t need to look far. Simply journey to the third floor of the Taggart Student Center to find the Val R. Christensen service center, which provides numerous opportunities to become involved. Clubs such as Aggies for Africa, Best Buddies, Habitat for Humanity and Friends for the Elderly are a few of the ample opportunities. A club which ties in service for the country is the Silver Wings Club.
A nationally and internationally recognized program organized by the Air Force ROTC, The Silver Wings Club combines cadets and civilians who work together on service projects throughout the school year.
“Silver Wings was originally a sister club with the Arnold Air Society, which is purely for cadets,” Sara Basset, president of the Silver Wings Club, said.
While the Arnold Air Society aims to build leadership skills for officers of the Air Force, the Silver Wings Club aims to help civilians as well as cadets build strong leadership skills and requires an equal ratio of cadet and civilian members. Each member needs to complete a service project and minimum of 20 hours of service per semester. Typically, members compete for a trophy which is awarded to those who complete the most service hours at the end of the year.
In addition to individual chapter competitions, Silver Wings and Arnold Air work together on a joint service project each semester. There is also a national service project and national and international conferences which are held each year. This year’s national conference, Americon, will be held in New York from April 22-26.
Basset said in the ‘70s, involvement in the Silver Wings Club was much bigger and the entire student body would compete for the trophy. Today, the club has lost much of its recognition at USU. Basset, who learned about Silver Wings through the ROTC program, said the club is trying to restart after the USU chapter fell apart last year.
“I enjoy it. It’s a good way to be involved in the community and a club that is nationally recognized,” she said. “It’s fun to get to know more people who enjoy service and to help the community on a local level.”
Although the club is focused on creating service projects and promoting publicity for next year, its members haven’t been deterred from looking for ways to serve in the meantime. The club meets every Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the Military Science Building, where they report their service hours for each week and discuss ideas. Vice president Rachel Austin said members have been involved in several cleanup projects, such as picking up trash around the Aggie Parking Terrace.
The club is looking to work with local organizations such as the humanitarian center and the recycling center, and they are organizing a project to repaint Logan’s miniature golf course in the upcoming month. Austin said they are working towards creating more publicity for next year.
“I love it because it’s so social and I can be a part of something that’s worthwhile,” Austin said.
Club secretary Jessica Swift said the club is currently planning plenty of projects for next year, and in addition to working with the humanitarian center, they hope to work with the Utah Festival Opera Company in the summer. In the past, Silver Wings has worked with the Rock Haus to create a fundraiser called Climb for the Cure, in which participants raised money for the total amount of feet they climbed. The club also plans to work with Arnold Air to organize a Bike for the Cure race in April.
Apart from the opportunity to meet other students, Swift said a benefit of being involved was becoming an officer in the club and building leadership experience for a resume. Officer positions include president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, public relations director and a liaison officer who works with Arnold Air recruitment.
Swift, who has been a member of Silver Wings for three years, said the club officially began a chapter at USU last spring and is slowly building its membership. She said there are currently more cadets than civilians in the club, but they hope to gain more recognition at this year’s Day on the Quad.
– chari.a.i@aggiemail.usu.edu