Seniors have been participating in Senior Service for years. Traditionally, seniors will partner with an outside organization or establishment where they can perform their service. However, some seniors have instead offered their services to Westminster, inspired by Westminster’s new Faith in Action program. Now, students can help out around the campus, volunteering their time for various jobs, even if this work might not have been their initial vision.
“I was supposed to start working at the Little Bit Foundation, but they already had enough people, so I got moved to building maintenance. I thought I [wouldn’t] like it, […] but after the first few weeks I [realized] I actually really like it here. I like being able to help out [maintenance faculty] who are already understaffed. ” said Jacobi Robinson, Senior.
Robinson initially wanted to volunteer somewhere else, but saw the potential to help the community and remained as a maintenance volunteer. Students have worked in facilities before, but the Faith in Action program has brought their service to the forefront.
“We’ve had people in senior service work for the maintenance department for years,” said Ben Collison, Westminster’s Director of Facilities. Collison expressed that these student volunteers have been influential additions to the maintenance and facilities staff, helping out with everything from dusting to kitchen work.
“It’s definitely a blessing for them to come in,” said Collison.
While these jobs may sound simple to some, this kind of manual labor isn’t for everyone. In order to properly serve, a little perseverance is required.
“If they’re not willing to work, it’s more of a pain… You’re not sitting down doing crafts with kids. You’re active, and we’re gonna ask you to move around for two hours. You have to have the right mindset, you gotta have a good work ethic. You gotta be willing to roll up your sleeves and do the work,” said Collison.
These tasks are tough, and hard work is a necessity for success, as it is in many aspects of life. Because of the effort needed, working with facilities is a great way to improve work ethic. It puts the volunteer through difficult manual labor, but when it’s done, they leave feeling strengthened in both body and mind. Additionally, it puts students in maintenance worker’s shoes, giving them a chance to experience cleaning up after their peers.
“[Students] notice it when [they’re] the one who has to take care of it,” said Collison. Students see the impact of leaving a mess or disrespecting property when they are the ones who have to deal with it. Students begin to empathize with maintenance workers and develop a real sense of respect for them.
“I feel like my appreciation [for maintenance staff] has grown tenfold,” said Robinson.
The volunteers have been given a taste of what the maintenance faculty does every day, cleaning up the messes left behind by others, and now realize the impact of their own messes and tracks. This opportunity has given seniors a new perspective on the maintenance profession as a whole.
Faith in Action continues to prove the opportunity to serve Westminster, and is a beneficial and enlightening Senior Service project. It gives students a chance to experience a different side of infrastructure maintenance, and gives them appreciation for a largely under-appreciated job.
