Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Community Service Fair

I attended the Community Service Fair in McGuire Hall this afternoon. There were over thirty non-profit organizations there to introduce Loyola students to groups and organizations we can work with. The goals of many of these organizations are to support or engage in activities without any profit. The main goal in bringing a fair like this to Loyola is to show graduates that there are opportunities to engage in service after college. Since this value is very important to Loyola, the idea of giving to others, opportunities beyond what’s done here help bridge the gap between service done here, to withhold a Jesuit education, and service work that can be done for the greater good—larger than just here.

The Community Service fair was recommended to me by the CCSJ office because I have worked in local hospitals, for a non-profit organization at home. It helped to support patients that could not afford to stay for treatments or overnight visits. There were programs at the fair in the medical field just like the one at home, also in areas such as business and education. The people working at this fair today are just like the Sampsons. They each give time and passion to either fighting for a cause they believe in, or attempting to improve the community they live in. The Sampsons are also extraordinary examples of the lifestyle a Jesuit education Loyola teaches—by living for others. The article “Serving Up Hope” is just about that, Galen Simpson and how he changed his life and career to assist the drug addicts and convicts of his community. In the article Sampson says, “A lot of this has to do with my belief and my faith” Mr. Sampson and people working for non-profits spread values and ideals like these every day.

People like the Sampsons are most likely who; Phillis Levin speaks about in his poem “End of April”. I think that this poem is about loving everyone even if it hurts. The pain and suffering as well as the risks the Sampsons suffer helping the needy in their neighborhood is outweighed by the feeling when someone succeeds. And finally, in “B. Traven”, the character Justino is similar to a person that the Sampsons would try to help. Even though things didn’t work out for him, the Sampsons or even those working and giving time to non-profits have values that would encourage and support the start of a new life.

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