The Elgin Community College Student Life Department hosted their annual ‘“Make A Difference Week” this past Oct. 16-19. This Make A Difference Week hosted a variety of events throughout its course. Events consisted of a blood drive, “PB Jammie Jam”, a volunteer fair, and a service day.
“Student involvement on campus is just as important as it is off campus. Being an involved student outside of the classroom really allows one to discover and develop new personal strengths and passions, as well as build community and make meaningful connections while making a difference,” said Student Life Coordinator, Megan Highland.
Make A Difference Week kicked off with the ECC and Life Source collaborative Blood Drive. The drive filled the Jobe Lounge on Oct. 16 with many participating students. According to blood drive results, there was a total of ninety-six total units, one hundred and four registered donors consisting of students and employees totaling in two hundred and twenty-eight lives saved. Life Source will be back on campus on Jan.29 and Apr.9 of 2018.
“I donate every time I can. I remember when I was young and my mom got into a car crash and she really needed blood and that’s when I realized how important donating is,” said Gabriel Taylor, second-year student at ECC.
Music filled the halls as the Human iPod Show showcased student’s favorite tunes while volunteers participated in the annual “PB Jammie Jam” on Oct. 17. The College Programming Board collaborated with Elgin Community College’s Student Life to host the PB Jammie Jam. A platform for students to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to be delivered to several social services agencies in ECC’s district. Said community organizations consisted of All People’s Interfaith – 1st Congregational Church, Association of Individuals, Boys and Girls Club, Community Crisis Center, Constitution House, Lazarus House, and P.A.D.S. Students throughout the event worked hard to create in total seven hundred and ten sandwiches.
Sixteen organizations participated in ECC’s Volunteer Fair on Oct. 18. These organizations filled Building B’s hallway to recruit students for upcoming volunteer opportunities. Among the sixteen organizations were the Gail Borden Public Library, City of Elgin: Parks and Recreations, Northern Illinois Food Banks, Open Door Health Clinic, and many more.
“Volunteering is so much more than resume building. Volunteering can make a bad day a good one, you can help out so many people that aren’t you, and once you realize that’s a great feeling. You’ll want to do it more often. I say everyone should volunteer at least once,” said Jorge Palamino, a first-year student, and Northern Illinois Food Bank volunteer.
The last event for the ECC Student Life Makes A Difference Week was a hands-on Service Day. Stations were held in the Jobe Lounge in which students were given the opportunity to make dog toys, pictures for “Color A Smile”, cards for military members, and or sensory pouches. Post-event results showed that forty-nine dog toys, forty-two pictures for “Color A Smile”, forty-six cards were written for military members, and forty sensory pouches were made at the end of ECC’s Service Day.
When asked about the importance of student involvement in their community and their campus, Highland said, “When students feel connected and are engaged, they are more likely to feel a sense of belonging and therefore enjoy their college experience more and are also more likely to succeed and finish college.”