R.E.A.L. Bears strives to uphold values befitting to community engagement. To do so, the group participates in numerous volunteer opportunities every year. R.E.A.L. Bears are required to engage in at least one philanthropy or community service event each semester. Members view this activism throughout the community as a valuable building block for personal development. Not only do members get to spend time with other members they have grown close to, but they also get to brighten the lives of others. R.E.A.L. Bears contributes to well-known charities and volunteer efforts, while they also work with the Springfield community and the University.
R.E.A.L. Bears is an organization that makes sure to give back a great deal to the community that fosters them. Perhaps one of the most familiar events they help with is the fundraising and participation with Relay-4-Life. R.E.A.L. Bears have hosted bake sales in the Alumni Center and sales of various products on the Relay-4-Life night to help raise funds for cancer research. Another area that R.E.A.L. Bears has given back to the community is through Adopt-A-Street. For this program, the organization cleans up a road that we have “adopted.” This helps to keep Springfield beautiful and environmentally healthy. At the end of the fall semester, R.E.A.L. Bears funded Angel Tree as well. This is a program that gives Christmas presents to children and families in need based off of a list that the family provides. R.E.A.L. Bears raised money within the membership and shopped for these items to donate.R.E.A.L. Bears is an organization that makes sure to give back a great deal to the community that fosters them.
R.E.A.L. Bears also has volunteered at The Gardens, an independent living home for seniors. Before Christmas break, a few members went to decorate for Christmas at The Gardens. Residents would come to talk to the R.E.A.L. Bears as they decorated the upstairs trees; they were extremely appreciative for the help in readying the building for the holidays. R.E.A.L. Bears also played Bingo at The Gardens, which was a fun time for both the R.E.A.L. Bears and the residents. The residents were welcoming and very engaged. It was a memorable experience for the R.E.A.L. Bears and hopefully the residents too.
Volunteering reaps an equal amount of rewards and benefits, if not more, to the work you put into it. R.E.A.L. Bears participated in a lot of worthwhile causes this semester. Therefore, they have gained a lot of perspective from giving back to the community.
“Remember that the happiest people are not those getting more, but those giving more.”