175 Acts of Service: University Community Shows the Power of Baldwin

To help celebrate Mary Baldwin University’s 175th anniversary year, students, alumni, faculty, and staff are coming together to complete 175 acts of service, a tribute to the spirit of outreach that has been a part of the institution since its founding.

screen-shot-2016-10-18-at-3-15-57-pmThe Advisory Board of Visitors is the leadership board providing special focus and sponsorship to the effort, in addition to the Spencer Center for Civic and Global Engagement, and the offices of External Affairs and University Advancement.

For the purposes of this yearlong effort, a project is defined as an activity by individuals or groups of individuals that fulfills a demonstrable service to the community.

“This could be the fulfillment of a committed number of volunteer hours to a community agency or organization, or a significant act, such as an afternoon of Lewis Creek cleanup, or assistance with Renewing Homes Together projects,” said President Pamela Fox. “We hope to far exceed this threshold, taking our collective commitment ‘to the power of Baldwin.’”

Fox announced in August at her state of the university address that a trip Murphy Deming College of Health Sciences students took earlier that month to Haiti would serve as the inaugural service project for the 175 acts. The 12 students on the trip partnered with Haitian nursing students to teach them physical therapy techniques.

A running list of the 175 acts and more information about how to submit an act of service to be will be available on the Mary Baldwin website.

In addition to the reporting of more formal community service projects, the university is encouraging its community to report smaller, personal acts of kindness throughout the year on social media using the hashtag #mbu4good.