Acts of Service

I volunteered to collect garbage on the morning of May 20 from the area Nob Hill School and the surrounding playground.

I volunteer for the Lakeland Runners Club.  We earn funds for local HS students scholarship for college.  I passed out Jersey for the May Fare race on Mother's Day to over 1000 runners.  I also ran in the 5K Saturday May 9, 2026.  The races earn funds to help HS kids get opportunity to attend college here in Florida.  Many of the HS students are on the cross country team or track and also participate in the LRC 5K throughout the year.  It's just one way many of the runners in Lakeland Florida and Polk County give back to the community.  https://lakelandrunnersclub.org/

As a family, we decided to collect pop tops for the NLU Pop Top Drive that will support Ronald McDonald House. I especially enjoyed doing this activity with my family, as my son is going to be attending NLU as a freshman in the fall.

I started donating platelets in 2018 after my mom experienced a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm. Many donors helped try to save her, so it felt like the right way to honor her and give back what others gave to my family. I continue donating simply because I am physically able to. If sitting in a chair for a couple hours means someone else makes it through surgery or finishes their treatment, that's not a hard decision for me. These donations embody the NLU spirit of empathy and service to others. Caring for someone else's wellbeing without recognition or reciprocity is the heart of hospitality.

‍

We traveled to Springfield, IL with a group of students, faculty and staff to participate in a Higher Education Advocacy Day. We toured the Capitol, attended a rally, met with some elected officials, and embodied the spirit of NLU as a group, learning and engaging.

‍

I led a small team of NLU folks in hosting one of our partners, ReDefiners World Languages (RWL), in their celebration/graduation of the students in grades K-5 who they had been tutoring. This picture is me with one of the RWL tutors in front of a table of books that were given to the little graduates. I also donated books.

Community service has always been a core part of who I am. Volunteering at the food pantry—often with my 16-year-old son by my side—leaves me feeling humbled and hopeful, inspired by the resilience and kindness within my community.

That same sense of purpose is what makes being part of National Louis University so meaningful. NLU's mission to provide access, empower students, and create pathways for social mobility is the reason I'm here. It's incredibly rewarding to contribute to an organization where our work has a tangible, lasting impact on individuals, families, and communities.

‍

This weekend, as an act of service and charity I went and donated blood. Donating blood left me feeling both humbled and grateful. It was a simple process that only took a short amount of time, but knowing that my donation could help save someone’s life made it feel incredibly meaningful. It reminded me that small acts of generosity, like giving up 45 minutes of your weekend and getting stuck with a needle- can have a real and lasting impact.

I volunteer on the Friends Board of the Highwood Public Library and Community Center.  Each week I pick up food and deliver to two families in need.  Our program is currently feeding 42 families with 10 bags of groceries each week.

Volunteering at Share Our Spare through the eKiwanis Club of Greater Chicago gave me a meaningful opportunity to serve my community. I helped sort clothing for infants ages three to twelve months and prepared packs of ten outfits for parents to pick up throughout the week. It felt rewarding to know that a simple task could meet a real need — infant clothes are expensive, and many families face financial pressures. Contributing to a system that helps parents access essential items felt both practical and impactful. This experience embodied the NLU spirit by turning values like service, compassion, and community engagement into tangible action for Chicago families.

‍

It felt great being able to help prepare food for those who need it.

This act of service was the final event in my more than 15 years of volunteering with our Cub Scout Pack. This dinner and recognition ceremony was recognizing the efforts of all the 5th graders moving on to the older scout group (my youngest was among them) and the adults who supported them throughout their time with the pack. Watching the kids learn about the world through their own acts of service was a joy. Last fall we collected over 7000 items for the local food pantry in our annual food drive; the kids were ecstatic. The impact we have together as a group is humbling, and the small ripples of change from each kid can eventually create big waves.

‍