As a Jesuit institution, cura personalis is deeply embedded in the culture of the university, with plenty of opportunities for students to express this care for the self and others. Recent acts of service by students have highlighted the importance of supporting others within our community and the larger world.
The blood drive on Hawk Hill, hosted by Red Cross with help from the St. Joe’s Biology Club, had a great turn out of not only students and faculty, but parents as well. Having people volunteer to help and donate blood was a great show of community, and the university provided a great service by offering the blood drive on campus.
The St. Joe’s community rallied for another act of service during the donation collection for families arriving into the country from Ukraine. The St. Joe’s Refugee and Immigrant Working Group organized the drive, in tandem with Catholic Social Services, and the community donated items and clothing for both children and adults. The donations will help ease one aspect of the transition to the United States for 19 refugees, and is a great example of providing for others who need the support.
April is Autism Awareness Month, and students and staff from Samuel Gompers Elementary School participated in an Autism Awareness Walk April 14, by walking to the Kinney Center on campus. Not only did the walk raise awareness of autism and show support for those on the autism spectrum, but it also served to build community between Gompers Elementary and St. Joe’s. The Kinney Center hosted students from Gompers Elementary school, created signs and passed out goody bags and informational handouts, in the spirit of autism awareness.
In the past month, St. Joe’s has shown an immense amount of support for our greater community through these acts of service. Our community has shown up and shown support. We must continue to be good stewards, not only of our university community, but of the world at large. We must continue with efforts to identify and seek solutions to the many injustices in the world around us.