The S.P.O.T. takes Emory University!

The S.P.O.T. took some time this month to join Emory University as they kicked off the start of a new academic year with a day dedicated to service and community engagement. 

On Sat. September 7, 2024, students and staff of Emory University in addition to servicing organizations joined together to reconvene and prioritize our civic and community-engaged missions. Emory Impact Service Day is an old tradition with a new name focusing on positive collaboration offering over ten different on-campus service opportunities that, of course, make an impact. 

Bryon Jones, Director of Student Led Engagement at Emory University Civic Engagement Center, is the man behind the event. As an individual growing up needing service, service is Jones' foundation of his life working in civic engagement allowing him the opportunity to combine his love for education and service. The civic engagement office uses service as a wheel to add value and enrich students' lives. Jones always considers the students first when planning Emory Impact Service Day keeping in mind the type of opportunities they want to be involved in and bridging the gap providing the student-manpower for the organizations doing the service. As he celebrates his 1 year Emory anniversary, Jones marks his first Emory Impact Service Day as his favorite Emory memory. 

Jones says, “One of the great things about my office is that we don’t want to reinvent the wheel. We want to be able to bring our students to organizations that are doing great work in the community. So when we find organizations like the S.P.O.T., Cancer Society Hope Lodge, the Atlanta community food bank, we want to make sure our students are getting out there making an impact by getting involved with those organizations.”

Throughout the Emory Student Center and surrounding areas, there were over ten various community engagement sessions and projects centering on ethics, gaining empowering arts skills of confident expression, debate training, and many more. The day consisted of community-based experiences that include but are not limited to, assembling and donating fresh homemade sandwiches, maintaining yard and garden clean up, planting and potting for green spaces, helping out Emory’s Dobbs Common Table (DCT), and helping to clean and maintain facilities. In addition, volunteers helped with cleaning, organizing, and inventory for donations as well as processing, sorting, and organizing the thrift store. Volunteers also left with some new skills such as learning how to critically think about information intake via social and mass media plus team history and building. 

Lydia and Lily, Emory students and members of volunteer Emory, mention their involvement in the Slow Food Emory where they prepare meals for Eagle Food pantry with the untouched extra food from DCT. They say how it was a great way to utilize food that was otherwise going to waste and to provide for the communities. 

The S.P.O.T. hosted a Positive Affirmation Project where volunteers designed cards and rocks with affirmations to distribute to the Emory community on World Kindness Day November 13, 2024, and to hide some around campus. If you’re reading this at Emory, we hope you find the card or rock that brightens your day and helps you smile. Be on the lookout! 

Sandra, an Emory senior and member of volunteer Emory says, “My favorite activity was the SPOT’s positive affirmation where we focused on centering selves. It is a great way to get back into the school year by focusing on things that make you happy without a deadline or hard commitments.”

Lydia says, “I painted a lot of rocks and I was not expecting to come out of it also feeling relaxed from volunteering.”

Listed are the names of each session and project held on Emory Impact Service Day! Thank you to everyone who volunteered, showed up, and participated. The community thrives another day. 

Atlanta Urban Debate League 

Community Mural 

Barkley Forum for Debate, Deliberation, and Dialogue 

Emory Sandwich Project 

Friends of Disabled Adults and Children 

Hope Lodge - American Cancer Society 

Nicholas House Sunshine Boxes 

Office of Sustainability Initiatives - Carlos Museum, Dobbs Common Table Food Recovery

SciOx Catalyst: Nutrition Literacy Activity with Volunteer Oxford 

Social Media Disinformation and Gen Z

The Safe Place for Our Tribe - Positive Affirmation Project 

Toco Hills Community Alliance 

Wylde Center Hawk Hollow Garden

Atlanta Community Food Bank