Howard University students remain steadfast in their service to the world and the greater DC community. The Office of the Dean of the Chapel hosted the inaugural Truth and Service Classic Day of Service in partnership with the National Park Service, DC United and Events DC.
A select support staff and over 50 participating students traveled to Anacostia Park in southeast DC to aid in park beautification. After cleaning the park, students visited the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens as a fun way to further explore their environmental justice initiative. Sponsors and partners’ contributions were vital to the success of this day of service.
“The National Park Service and DC United provided trash bags, gloves, and trash grabbers. The t-shirts were also sponsored by DC United,” Nya Parker, the executive student director of Alternative Spring Break and student organizer for this event, said.
Students traveled on charter buses sponsored by Event DC. The buses were provided to ensure students’ safety as the Justice for J6 rally and day of service co-occurred in the district on Saturday.
In spite of such chaos being right under their noses, students were still eager to participate and uphold the Howard motto of truth and service. Eboni Brown, a sophomore audio production major, found pleasure in being able to serve the local area.
“A park goer told me that she was proud of the work we were doing, so I was proud to represent Howard University in a good manner,” Brown said. “It was rewarding… At the end, we put all of our bags together, and it was nice to see how much we picked up,” she continued.
Not only were the students naturally gratified to have served and positively represented the university, Chapel staff and student leaders also incentivized their service and dedication with a special reward.
“To show our appreciation to those who participated in the Truth and Service Classic Day of Service, we provided one complimentary ticket to the Battle of the Real HU, Truth & Service Classic football game,” Parker said.
A corporate sponsor provided all tickets for support staff and participating students, according to Andreya Davis, the assistant dean of faith-based and community initiatives in the Office of the Dean of the Chapel.
With the success of this event, there is a possibility for more days of services to correspond with big game days and, although homecoming festivities like yardfest and tailgate are cancelled, the Office is currently planning for homecoming day of service.
