In the hazy morning of April 29th, over five hundred members of our Seawolves came together and participated in the Morning of Service — an annual event where the Tabor community show care to the broader Southeast Massachusetts’s community.
There were approximately 20 services opportunities, ranging from doing yardwork around Marion to cooking for the Salvation Army. Students and faculty ranked which services they’d most wanted to engage with towards the end of March and got assigned groups on April 29, showcasing immense participation across each group. Here are some of the few takeaways and descriptions from the service day.
Community Clean Up
Around 25 students were assigned to help locally; they picked litter along Spring Street and Route 6. Marion isn’t usually associated with littering; however, this activity would help Ms. Leary’s group see how much litter there actually is under five minutes down the road.
Deming Dwyer ‘27, one of the five girls within the group, spoke about how this opportunity widened her perspective.
“We picked way more trash than we thought we had; it was surprising there were many cigarette buds, plastic, and alcohol” says Dwyer.
Hopefully, with this information, everyone can makea conscious effort to clean after yourself or to pick up the trash on the way to Dunkin Donuts.
Yard Work Around Marion
Another 11 people volunteered locally – though further in Marion- in yardwork across Marion for elderly citizens. They went to a total of three places: the first two stops at elderly houses and one at an elderly center. Our volunteers helped by planting a new variety of flowers and cleaning up any weeds and ivies present.
Pearson Wu ‘28, who was a part of the yardwork, said that this this day of service was a “nice opportunity for people to bond and contribute to the community around us.”
Wu also shared that it was quite touching that the elderly were appreciative and gave them snacks afterwards.
Special Olympics
Ella O’ Brian ‘27 shared her experience helping with the Special Olympics; her group set out lunches for the participants of our event while others directly interacted with the athlethes. Their groups made food including sandwiches, wraps, and cookies.
Of course, everything couldn’t have been possible without the coordination of Ms. Cunha and thecommunity service board. The seemingly few hours of service took many weeks of planning, outreaching, and coordinating. What makes it worth all the time perhaps is seeing how a sense of community can be built through just one morning.
It is in these opportunities that we can understand our privileges and what it means to give back through service. Hopefully, this tradition at Tabor will stay throughout the years to continue striving towards a culture where we value service and connection.
If you’re interested in being more involved with these types of volunteering, consider applying for the service board! The deadline is May 13!
