Students, staff and faculty will take part in a campus-wide day of service on Friday, Sept. 29, to benefit the greater Baltimore community.
Mustangs Make a Difference Day is a student-focused service day with various classes, clubs, and organizations hosting tables that provide service activities to meet the needs of various community partners in the Baltimore region.
Service activities will take place in the apartment quad on the Owings Mills campus from 1-4 p.m.
“I think Mustangs Make a Difference Day is a great way for students to get involved while giving back to the community,” said Dr. Christine Moran, assistant vice president for Student Success. Moran explained that this event is an opportunity for students to learn more about non-profits and connect with various community partners which can lead to future service, research, or internship opportunities.
Stevenson previously sponsored a day of service, Build Community Day, where students participated in service projects off-campus. The final Build Community Day was held in 2013, leaving 2014 with no day of service, according to Moran.
That changed in 2015 when the college community worked to create Mustangs Make a Difference Day. This year marks the third annual day of service under the rebranded title.
Stevenson’s Mustangs Make a Difference Day (MMDD) has been recognized as one of 700 service events throughout Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, and Washington D.C. in conjunction with the governor’s ‘Day to Serve’ initiative. “This initiative is meant to unite people of all faiths, races, cultures, and backgrounds with the shared goal of helping those in need and communities where we live,” said Moran. Moran has worked to develop this campus tradition with Dr. Kim Pause Tucker, director of Center for Environmental Stewardship, and Morgan Somerville, director of student engagement.
“This year, First-Year Seminar (FYS) classes are developing and hosting service stations on Mustangs Make a Difference Day. FYS classes were encouraged to partner with student clubs and organizations,” she added. Unlike previous years, the 2017 MMDD is replacing the Lego Challenge, an annual event for first year seminar students focused on career architecture.
Last year, student organizations, such as the Environmental Science Club, led a stream clean-up that removed over 1,000 trash items including 100 plastic bags, 300 bottles, a toy truck, four tires, and a construction cart from the stream and surrounding wildlife area where the Dell Family Pathway currently stands. Mustangs Make a Difference Day 2016 resulted in participation from 310 students and 23 clubs and organizations benefiting 17 community partners.
The Mustangs Make a Difference planning team is expecting similar numbers with this year’s event.
Students who are interested in service, but are unable to participate in the event, still have opportunities to help out the community with clubs and organizations on campus such as Student United Way and Mission: I’m Home, or by visiting the Center for Experiential Learning located in Garrison Hall South.
