Service is more than a requirement
CLEVELAND, Tenn. – For the past eleven years, Cleveland citizens have gathered at Broad Street United Methodist Church to celebrate Night to Shine. Cheers erupt as the community welcomes the evening’s special guest – people with special needs from Cleveland and the surrounding area.
Sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation, Night to Shine is described as “an unforgettable worldwide celebration event, centered on God's love, honoring and valuing people with special needs.” Tebow wants each guest to feel like a king or queen because God sees them that way everyday.
Jami Thomason, one of the Cleveland sponsors for this event and member of Broad Street UMC, works with many organizations in Cleveland to host this event. These partnerships range from setting up the event to accompanying a guest. Plenty of volunteers and preparation is required for event success; Thomason has found those who continually fill this need.
“We've been really fortunate, especially this year. We were really worried with the high food costs and a new color scheme this year, but it's been really great because our people have just helped us out,” said Thomason.
Lee University is one of the partners Thomason has found in the Cleveland community. Many students choose to earn service hours at this event.
Lee has service learning embedded within some course curriculums and clubs. Programs like L.E.A.P. – a federally funded program for first generation or low-income students as well as students with disability – focus on implementing the practice of serving others, according to Dr. Angela Waltrip, the program director.
“Part of the goal of the L.E.A.P. program is to help students become engaged with high impact practices, and service learning is a high impact practice where students are doing things that will help them become better students and more responsible citizens in this world,” Waltrip said.
Katherine Haley, a junior L.E.A.P student, appreciates the opportunities service learning has given her to connect to the Lee community as well as those outside it.
“When we do service projects together, everyone has so much fun. Whether it's serving at Night to Shine, a carnival or a nursing home, everyone comes back with a fun story. You’ll connect with an individual that you did not expect to connect with, and there are always surprises,” Haley reflects.
Dr. Waltrip also sees the importance of connecting Lee students with the university mission. She says it has an impact on students in their future.
“This is our tenth year doing Night to Shine, so I look at students who have moved on and have begun working in their community. They are working in the community as teachers and social workers – all sorts of benevolent type jobs. They're doing benevolent vocations, but they also incorporate it in their vocations,” Dr. Waltrip said.
Dr. William Lamb, director of the Leonard Center, built the program that integrates redemptive service into the university’s mission. According to Dr. Lamb, the service learning program was launched 23 years ago to serve as an opportunity for students to serve in alignment with their degree – integrating faith and service together.
“We believe at the university that service and faith integration is incredibly valuable, so we want students to have a biblical context by which they can make contributions, not just for their job but also for the kingdom of God.” Dr. Lamb said.
Although service learning is a graduation requirement, some students' perspectives of service learning have shifted. Dr. Lamb recalls a student survey of the Leonard Center; service learning is “more than meeting requirements – we are meeting needs.”
Night to Shine demonstrates this principle. The core mission of this event – helping the overlooked see themselves through God’s eye – aligns with our university mission of redemptive service.
Dr. Lamb relates this concept to discipleship: “The more that we learn the value of service not just as checking off an activity, we recognize that we are a reflection of Christ in that encounter that multiplies the effectiveness of our discipleship.”
Do you need help finding a service opportunity? The Leonard Center has compiled a list of resources to aid students in the process of learning to serve. Students are required to complete 10 service hours per semester, and these are due by April 1st and November 1st.
