On Saturday, Sept. 30, Villanova University held its 18th annual St. Thomas of Villanova Day of Service. Just one of the many ways Villanovans embody Caritas, Day of Service is an opportunity for students to become involved with neighboring organizations, including schools and churches.
Villanovans were able to join groups of their choosing, ranging from Greek life to clubs and orientation groups, or they could create their own. Each group was then placed with one of 141 service sites. The morning of, groups gathered in the Villanova Stadium for a send-off to begin the day.
Villanova’s Special Olympics was one of the groups. Its members were assigned to Valley Forge’s Medal of Honor Grove, along with the Chi Omega sorority and Army ROTC. The three groups worked together, doing a variety of tasks.
Other locations for Day of Service included Keep Royal Gardens Beautiful of Overbrook, the Ambler Arboretum of Temple University, the Tyler Arboretum, amongst other locations. Students spent Day of Service weeding, cleaning churches and painting for a variety of local churches, gardens and other locations.
Each group also had a group leader, in charge of ensuring the day went smoothly. Senior Moira Horan was the group leader for Special Olympics, and she helped with things such as group and bus coordination and lunch allotments.
“Participating in the St. Thomas of Villanova Day of Service with Special Olympics was meaningful because we had the opportunity to form connections with the greater Villanova community through our service at Medal of Honor Grove at Valley Forge,” Horan said. “Serving as a group leader was impactful because I reflected on what service means to our community and myself as a Villanovan. Collaborating with Villanova Special Olympics and St. Thomas of Villanova Day of Service was important in working towards strengthening our community connections together.”
Medal of Honor Grove’s chairman and Villanova graduate Mark Ryan oversaw the volunteers for the day. Ryan explained that Valley Forge relies on its volunteers to keep the grounds running smoothly, and that Villanova’s Day of Service is something they know they can count on.
Senior Greta Horgan also volunteered with Special Olympics and, along with 11 other Villanovans, was tasked with putting together new benches for the grounds. Another group of 12 was tasked with demolishing the old, rotted benches.
“It was a great day of service,” Horgan said. “We were able to put together 48 benches which will be placed all around the Medal of Honor Grove. It was so great to be able to help our community out and make a difference in just one day.”
Other tasks at Valley Forge included yard cleanup and branch removal, painting wood varnish onto newly built porches, gardening and weeding. All the group members were incredibly enthusiastic about their assigned jobs, knowing that they were able to make a difference in the upkeep of Valley Forge’s Medal of Honor Grove.
When Villanovans returned to campus, the Day of Service committee was waiting with an afterparty by the Oreo. With t-shirts for volunteers, seemingly endless food trucks and music, it was the perfect way to round out the day.
Villanova prides itself on the consistent outpour of love and kindness from all Villanovans. This was showcased perfectly throughout the St. Thomas Day of Service, with smiles, laughter and joy radiating from every volunteer.
