Revelations of unacceptable, dangerous, and predatory behavior have been in the news almost daily for the past six months. These revelations have been a good thing; the actions of those perpetrating them are not. Their victims must live with what happened to them for the rest of their lives, no matter what it is called such as harassment, date rape, casting couch, job interview, etc. Sexual assault is sexual assault and cannot be tolerated. A member of my family, one that I know of, experienced such an incident and it saddens me to this day. That story is not one for me to tell, but it motivates me to do what I can for victims of these disgusting acts. This week’s tune-up offers you one way to be of service.
First, I need to tell you about my program Service Fair on the Gosm, as it has everything to do with the project I am about to share with you. Basically, Service Fair on the Gosm is a road show of easy-to-perform service projects that I bring to a school to engage students. Examples of some of these projects include making doggy tug toys, boo-boo bunnies, and peanut butter & jelly sandwiches. Sometimes Service Fair on the Gosm is held as part of a larger event and sometimes as a stand-alone activity. The hope is that students will see the value in helping others and seek out opportunities to serve. After the projects are over, I distribute the finished goods on campus or within the community, such as delivering PB&J sandwiches to a local agency serving the hungry and/or homeless.
Now, here’s the project that I really wanted to tell you about. A couple of years ago I was booked to bring Service Fair on the Gosm to a college in New York. While planning the event, the Director of Student Life asked me to work with the Salvation Army Rape Crisis Center to develop a project. I called the center’s volunteer coordinator and she suggested creating a care package of items that could be given to sexual assault victims after completing all police procedures. She recommended placing a bar of soap, toothpaste, tooth brush, shampoo, lotion, hair bands, a brush, socks, and mouth wash in a re-sealable zipper storage bag, along with the center’s resource brochures and business cards, to create the kits. I was able to obtain all of the items locally and the cost per kit came to about $7.
On the day of the event, I set-up all of the projects and a couple of members of the programming board were available to assist me. I put the items for the care kits on one of the end tables of the space I was using and asked two female students to oversee the project. I wanted students to feel comfortable speaking freely while doing the project and to ask questions that they may not want to discuss with a male stranger who was not a part of the campus.
The decision to have two women coordinating the project was the right one. Several of the female students who participated were visibly emotional. One of them, after completing a kit, said, “I wish I had something like this when it happened to me.” There were also men who put kits together and shared experiences that their sisters and other family members had. It was very moving to do something so important and complete kits that we hoped would never be needed but, sadly we know will be.
At conferences of the Association for the Promotion of Campus Activities, I coordinate service projects under the banner of APCA Serves! At this year’s spring conferences in Orlando, FL and Hershey, PA, we made 144 kits each for the Victim’s Service Center of Central Florida and the Sexual Assault Resource Counseling Center in Lebanon Valley, PA. (Please see the note from the SARCC director below) This time I ordered many of the items in bulk from Amazon.com and was able to reduce the per kit cost to around $4. The support for the project came from the Association and their commitment to community service initiatives. Many of the students discussed ways to do this project on their campus, such as during Greek Week, during a Take Back the Night rally, Fall Fest, and as an addition to upcoming Women’s History Month activities. Going forward, I plan to also have on site rape crisis counselors to talk with harassment and assault victims and advocates for victims to share information on what to do if a person finds themselves in such a situation and also how loved one’s can provide support.
If you would like to do this project on your campus and want the list of the exact products I bought, please call 770-552-6592 or email me at DaveKelly@GonzoSpeaks.com. Additional resources can be found at TimesUpNow,com, NoMore.org, ItsOnUs.org, the #MeToo hashtag on social media for support and solidarity, and local agencies.
Get in touch anytime you need service project ideas and also to bring one of my serving leadership and civic engagement programs to your campus. Booking me will not break the bank – check out my Affordable Pricing Model for a quote! I look forward to serving your students!
Thank you note for donation of care kits assembled by APCA Hershey attendees from director of the Sexual Assault Resource and Counseling Center of Lebanon Valley (PA)