Leonard Center offers surplus of service projects for upcoming graduates
Photo by Senior Reporter Annie Youther
As the deadline for service hours approaches for December graduates, many students are still looking for opportunities to fulfill the school-given requirement.
“If you’re a senior, panicking because you don’t have your hours, just talk to us, and we’ll help you get to where you need to be,” said Director of the Leonard Center Dr. William Lamb. “We’ve been doing this for 19 years. It’s not the first time we’ve seen seniors stressed.”
Lindsey Glass, a senior cinema major graduating in December, said the number of service hours left to complete was daunting.
“At one point, realizing I still needed 40 service hours in just a few months before I graduated, seemed impossible,” said Glass. “But once I dove in and realized the impact that something small could have not only on one person, but a whole family, it flew by, and I wish I would have started sooner and done more during my time at Lee.”
The Leonard Center, which guides service-learning at Lee, prepares students for Christian citizenship through reflective community interactions that encourage a commitment to the ideals of service, benevolence, civic virtue and social justice. All service-learning opportunities can be found at LeeUServes.com.
“When looking at the website, it might seem daunting,” said Valerie Corbett, Lee’s service project coordinator. “There’s a lot of opportunities that are being added each day, but there are ways to filter to find a service project fit for you amidst the seemingly never-ending list, and we are continually working on the website to make it easier to sort through as well.”
Filtering on LeeUServes.com allows students to separate service projects by organization or by differentiating between one-time opportunities versus ongoing. The website offers insight on whether the service project is direct, meaning the student must attend in-person, or indirect, meaning it can be completed virtually. Indirect options include activities such as writing cards, transcribing, video calls and much more.
While indirect options are available to those who need them, there are countless direct options with service partners in the area who depend on volunteers.
Both Deke Inc. and New Life Community Kitchen are service opportunities for students to help Cleveland’s homeless population. They are within walking distance from Lee and in need of consistent volunteers.
Foundation House Ministries is also within walking distance from Lee. This ministry helps new and expectant mothers. From working in the office to writing encouraging letters, babysitting, presenting short stories or bible studies to the women, there are a variety of ways volunteers can help.
“Lee volunteers make such a huge impact on our partners,'“ said Lamb. “To those who are serving and have served, thank you so much because our partners really do rely on this, and they’ve been able to grow so much. Plus, it’s a good segue into a life of service when you leave Lee.”
To view the list of available service opportunities, click here.
