By Suzanne Roig, Published by The Honolulu Advertiser
Chaminade University students yesterday toiled in streams and at schools, and aided the elderly and the homeless as part of the school’s annual community service day.
Starting at 8:15 yesterday morning, about 150 students, faculty and staff came together and went to seven different locations on Oahu. They cleaned up at the Halawa Valley Heiau, they baked cookies and delivered them to the Institute for Human Services. They cleaned up the grounds of Palolo Elementary School, the Palolo Stream, repainted railings at the Palolo Chinese Home, organized a learning center and helped at the IHS shelter.
It was part of a class for new freshman, said Allison Jerome, Chaminade University associate dean of students. The class is a requirement for all incoming freshmen and is designed to teach students about giving back to the community.
“A lot of students made connections today,” Jerome said. “They said they wanted to go back and help or come out and tutor at Palolo Elementary. Ideally what we want out of this day is for them to have enjoyed making a difference in their community.”
Chardonnay Pao, a new freshman and basketball player, is no stranger to community service. Still, she had a great time at the Palolo Chinese Home, a place she never knew existed before yesterday. Still, she had a great time painting railings and washing cars at the elderly home at the back of Palolo Valley.
“It wasn’t very hard work at all,” Pao said. “I am thinking of contacting them to do my community service hours at.”
Pao is required to put in a set amount of time in doing community service as part of a scholarship she received.
This is the second year in a row that the school has organized a day-long community service day as a real world application of the seminar class they are required to take, Jerome said.
“It’s turned out to be a good thing,” she said. “The best part of the day for me is when I hear that the students have enjoyed their work. That’s ultimately the results that we want. The students worked hard today.”
