Service Center makes serving even easier
What do the Boy Scouts of America, National Honor Society and the Val R. Christensen Service Center have in common?
Maybe it is that they all allow girls into their organizations – even though one of them expressly hints in the title – “No Girls Allowed.” No, the one thing these three groups have in common is an interest in reaching out and helping others.
In the Boy Scouts, young men (and now young women) have the opportunity to help the elderly and clean up the neighborhood.
But what are service-seeking college students supposed to do to give aid back to their communities? The answer is right here on the campus of Utah State University.
The Service Center is a place students can find opportunities to serve others.
While many college campuses were protesting the Vietnam War in 1970, USU students decided to protest the war in a peaceful way. They organized a leaf raking service project and formed a service club, said Jarrett Blonquist, student director of the center.
Val R. Christensen, then director of student activities, became the advisor. Today the center is one of the oldest and largest student-run service organizations nationally, Blonquist said.
The Service Center is located on the third floor of the Taggart Student Center near the Associated Students of Utah State University offices.
“We have incredible directors who are unbelievably dedicated,” Blonquist said. “They are all full-time students. None of them are paid for what they do, and many of them have additional jobs.”
He invites everyone to visit the center and see what it has to offer.
“Come up to the Service Center some evening and you’ll most likely see it full of students planning out the details of their projects,” Blonquist said.
A pamphlet distributed by the Service Center details the 14 different programs offered there. These include the Special Olympics, Storytellers and Friends of the Elderly. The center also offers Pals, an organization focused on helping youth in need of a good example.
“My favorite part about the Service Center is knowing that I can help even though I am a busy college student,” said Kimberly Tucker, a special education major, working at the Service Center for her fourth year.
Tucker said she has been involved in many of the programs the center offers. She learned about the center while attending Survival Week three years ago.
The first program she participated in was Alternative Breaks. This put a new spin on her Spring Break.
Instead of partying and taking the time off of school to loaf about like most vacationers, Tucker said she and other college students like her, took the time to travel to neighboring states to build houses and playgrounds, and to help local homeless shelters.
“In college, students get too caught up in studying and working,” Tucker said. “This gives them an opportunity to do something for others.”
Not all of the programs require as much time and expense.
Students Teaching Arithmetic and Reading (STAR) is a program for students can only dedicate a half hour or so each week.
Rachelle Goodrich, a social work major, said she took part in STAR last year and plans on doing it again this year, even in the midst of planning for her upcoming wedding.
“I think it is fun and the kids are cute,” Goodrich said. “A lot of college students have big dreams for the future, but it is nice to do something and feel like you’re fulfilling other kids dreams now.”
The Service Center is the ideal way to get involved in what USU has to offer and provides students a place to develop good leadership skills, Tucker said.
“I have the best job on ASUSU. I get to be involved, make a difference and see people smile all day long. It may sound a little cheesy, but everyone wins with service,” Blonquist said.