When Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College’s traditional Foundation Day of Service projects didn’t jazz Meredith Williams’ leadership class, she opened it up to the students to choose what their project for Oct. 20, 2020, would be. They decided kindness is something the campus needed after such a hard year. So, kindness they spread.
The class gathered outside of O’Shaughnessy Hall as the SMWC community went to lunch. With masks and gloves, the students handed out hand-made paper flowers and lollipops. Each item had an inspirational message attached with a ribbon with the hope of spreading happiness. The group was playing music and waving signs that read “Kindness Crew.”
Kierstin Seim, a junior theology major from Norway, Michigan, said she and her class “jumped on” the opportunity to create their own service project.
“We mentioned we didn’t have a fall break, so people are stressed because we didn’t have that time to reset,” Seim said. The Woods is sending students home for Thanksgiving break as many institutions are doing as a result of COVID-19, and they won’t return until the spring semester. So, when Seim and her classmates decided that kindness and compliments were something needed around campus, they were all in.
“I feel like our campus is definitely a pay it forward campus. You do something for somebody else, they do something for somebody else,” Seim said. She said she loves the day of service because the school was founded on it.
Williams, MBA, assistant professor of business, also thought their idea of the “Good Vibe Tribe” was a great addition to the day’s projects.
“Don’t we all need a little bit more kindness?” Williams asked. “2020 has been hard for everybody. I think it’s important that it aligns with our values. An education here is different than another place.”
The values that Williams is referring is of Saint Mother Theodore Guerin, who founded the College on Oct. 22, 1840, with her five companions. She arrived at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana, after a long trek from France. Upon her arrival, she started a girl’s academy, which has transformed into Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College. Her core values have been adopted by the College, including social justice, spirituality, sustainability and gender equality.
Dottie L. King, Ph.D., president, started the fifth annual Foundation Day of Service talking about those same values, asking students and employees at the morning prayer service to think about Guerin’s legacy.
“A lot of your college experiences are like any other,” King said. “And yet, there is something different here. There’s something more. Take some time today and think what these Woods mean to you. SMWC is a different place.”
Students and employees were able to dive deeper into the values of the College with breakout sessions for each one. The sessions were followed by a community lunch.
And then the hands-on fun began – projects all around campus that encompassed each value at its core. Some students were cleaning the grounds, while others created pottery bowls for Catholic Charities annual Soup Bowl.
Tavia Hedrick, a junior environmental science major, was able to return to a place dear to her heart – the White Violet Center. There, volunteers were cleaning the gardens. Hedrick worked at the center over the summer and was glad to have the opportunity to spend more time there.
“I feel like we are living Saint Mother Theodore’s legacy,” she said. Being an environmental science major, she was also glad to give back to the planet. “It’s really cool to give back to the community in any way possible and to the Earth.”
Alongside Hedrick was Libby Robinette, who is interning at the White Violet Center. Although she wasn’t specifically celebrating Foundation Day, she does believe in one of Guerin’s key values.
For her, it’s about “learning more about food and where it comes from, and how we can be sustainable.”
Janet Clark, Ph.D., vice president for academic and student affairs, summed up what the day means to The Woods.
“The roots of our four core values come from the legacy of Saint Mother Theodore Guerin and what she created for us,” Clark said. “In a world full of change and turmoil, it’s up to us to understand these values and live up to them to repair the world and bring about peace. I believe Mother Theodore aspired higher and look what she did. I trust that you can do it too as brothers and sisters of The Woods. We still have promises to keep and miles to go.”
