Most MSU students may have spent their spring break lounging on a beach, traveling or relaxing at home. That wasn’t the case for 17 COB students enrolled in MGT 400 who spent their time helping others in need at two locations in the Atlanta area.
Students pitched in at the Jolly Avenue Community Garden, helping refugees prepare for spring planting. Students mulched walking paths, organized the tool shed, prepared a berry patch and cleared debris from garden plots. It was through their interaction with refugees that students realized how fortunate they are and how they can have a positive impact on others by volunteering.
“Not only did I learn how to properly spread mulch, but I learned no matter the situation, lack of resources, or how difficult the task, I can be successful. No university or college course could teach this better than the refugees themselves,” says one participating student.
That week students also volunteered at MedShare, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving health care and the environment through the efficient recovery and redistribution of surplus medical supplies and equipment to those most in need. MedShare collects medical supplies and equipment from hospitals, distributors and manufacturers, then redistributes it to qualified health-care facilities in the developing world. Our students helped sort and prepare 94 boxes of these supplies for shipping, preventing 1,259 pounds of medical supplies from being sent to a landfill.
Both volunteer activities had a positive impact on the students. Debra Horn, a student on the trip summed up her experience stating “As I was talking with my teammates, we all had something that would change in our lives as we move forward. What was equally meaningful for me was to sit back at dinner and see a table of 20 strangers from a week ago sharing food, engaging in conversations and smiling. It was at this moment that I felt certain that everyone gained something from this trip. I am confident that this table is filled with our future leaders. Our experiences have brought us together. My hope is that what we have learned will encourage us to be aware and ready to engage the pressing needs in this world as we look beyond what we have known.”