Westminster Day of Service

Mahatma Gandhi once said, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”

On Saturday, April 2, over 700 members of the Westminster community came together for the first-ever Westminster Day of Service. This includes the volunteers who helped plan the event, ranging from kindergarteners to grandparents in the community.

“It seemed like such a wonderful opportunity for families to connect in such a meaningful way,” said Shilpi Laskar, a member of the PAWS Westminster Day of Service planning team.

To begin planning the event, the team communicated with parents, students, and faculty in the Westminster community to find organizations that would be interested in participating in the Westminster Day of Service. There was an overwhelming amount of response and interest; community members suggested over 90 organizations. After sorting through the logistics, 36 of these organizations were finalized on attending. Some of these organizations included Agape, HeART Party, which is run by students in the community, City of Refuge, and Hope Atlanta. 

Upon arrival, the day was kicked off with heartfelt messages and greetings from President Keith Evans, Reverend David Charney, President Keith Evans, and members of the Day of Service team.  The central message of the day focused on the importance of living in service to honor the dignity of others. Volunteers separated into groups and began their service projects both on-campus and across metro Atlanta.

“I loved knowing that what I was doing is going to make an impact on someone’s life and will help them value their education more,” says freshman Anna Banner, who volunteered on campus with Most Valuable Kids of Greater Atlanta. 

Banner organized books for preschoolers to 12th graders and made bookmarks for them. 

Westminster’s Day of Service was a success, and with all of the positive feedback, there is hope that another will be held next year.