By James Irwin
They gathered for the first time last month at the Virginia home of George Washington to better understand the man for whom their university is named.
When the class of 2018 came together for a second time, on a hot and humid September day in the D.C. area, it was in celebration of one of the core beliefs of the nation’s first president.
The George Washington University held its sixth annual Freshman Day of Service and Convocation on Saturday, with more than 2,400 GW freshmen serving on community projects throughout the metropolitan area as part of the September 11th National Day of Service and Remembrance.
“George Washington spelled out his vision for a university that would educate citizen-leaders in his last will and testament,” George Washington University President Steven Knapp said. “Today, we draw our students from all 50 states and from more than 100 countries around the world. But we still preserve the spirit and tradition and culture of service as part of the heritage of our founding.”
GW volunteers, including members of the class of 2018, attended a Saturday morning convocation at the Charles E. Smith Center that featured remarks from Dr. Knapp, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Steven Lerman, My Good Deed co-founder Jay Winuk, Corporation for National and Community Service CEO Wendy Spencer and urban revitalization strategist Majora Carter.
2014 Freshman Day of Service and Convocation Timelapse
Ms. Carter, a public radio host and founder of the nonprofit environmental justice solutions corporation Sustainable South Bronx, emphasized the idea of social enterprise in her keynote speech to students.
“As you work today, think of the value you place on work,” she said. “Whose life is going to change? What benefit is created and who knows and values that benefit? What you love and what pays the bills doesn’t have to be mutually exclusive.”
A temperature that felt like the upper 90s enveloped the midday crowd of volunteers as they boarded buses outside the Smith Center for service sites throughout the metro area armed with water bottles, box lunches and sunblock. Students, staff and faculty worked alongside 44 local partners Saturday on projects focused on environmental sustainability, veterans’ affairs, community beautification and healthy living.
Around 300 GW volunteers worked alongside local senior citizens to complete community asset surveys in D.C. Wards 5, 6 and 7, where they documented issues that impair healthy living and mobility as part of GW’s involvement in the city’s age-friendly initiative. Dr. Knapp, who co-chairs the D.C. Age-Friendly Task Force, joined a small group of students conducting one of the neighborhood surveys in Ward 5, where they were joined by several local citizens, including longtime resident Sheila Poole, who serves as a neighborhood ambassador for the age-friendly D.C. project.
Dr. Knapp and a group of students conduct a survey of a neighborhood in Ward 5, where they documented uneven sidewalks and unlabeled pedestrian crossings. "One thing I noticed was in a lot of areas the sidewalk just ends," said Sherin Nassar, a student site leader for Age-Friendly D.C. "Going across the street to find another sidewalk is a navigation challenge. Improving that would help this neighborhood a lot."
“This is cracking again,” said Ms. Poole, hunched over a sidewalk off Sargent Road Northeast as she led Dr. Knapp and a group of volunteers on a walk of the neighborhood, where they documented damaged walkways and obstructed road signage.
At one spot, not far from a retirement community, the lack of a sidewalk off Sargent Road has resulted in a block-long stretch of matted-down grass in between two cross streets.
“I’m from the District, so being able to highlight some of these problems—or bring them to someone’s attention—has been a great opportunity,” said Detrick Campbell, a freshman in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences. “It’s allowed me to get more involved in my hometown community.”
GW volunteers were doing similar work in other communities throughout the area Saturday. In McLean, Va., a group from the university helped document the stories of veterans and family members of veterans living at Vinson Hall Retirement Community for a Library of Congress military history project. At Fire Engine Company 32 in Southeast Washington, volunteers worked alongside Mr. Winuk to spread mulch, create flower beds, benches and gardens on the grounds. In Prince George's County, GW students participated in a sustainable urban farming project at ECO City Farms. Another group of volunteers prepared meals and maintained a community garden at a Northwest Washington site hosted by Campus Kitchens.
“One thing all three Convocation speakers highlighted was that this is about a community coming together to create something in the long run,” said Sherin Nassar, a sophomore in the Elliott School of International Affairs and student site leader for Age-Friendly D.C. “At GW so much of our work is dedicated to community service, and getting involved gives you an idea of the long-term effect of what you are doing.”
Dr. Knapp and about two dozen students spent the late afternoon on the campus of the Armed Forces Retirement Home, cleaning up a pond and working with the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors and residents of the home to create comfort kits for military families who have lost loved ones.
“We are focused on a variety of different activities because we want to introduce students to a wide variety of service,” said Amy Cohen, executive director of the Center for Civic Engagement and Public Service. “We also want our community members to know we will always be there for them. We want to make sure we are long-term partners with communities in the District of Columbia and the region.”
Highlights from 2014 Freshman Day of Service
Full 2014 2014 Freshman Day of Service and Convocation
