Collegiate Times

A call to service? Who has the time? President Barack Obama's message was clear: He challenges each and every one of us to "participate in our nation's recovery and renewal by serving in our communities."

OK, that sounds good enough, but I have class work, proposals to write, research to do, a dog and cat to take care of, and the laundry needs to be done. Who has the time? I have sat in many lectures where I have heard how amazing people like Dr. Paul Farmer have dedicated their lives to helping people in need. My reaction is always the same. I leave those speeches enthusiastic, geared up, energized and ready to change the world! The next day, however, real life beckons me back to my daily chores, and the energy dissipates. Let's be serious. I'm not a doctor. I am not in a place in my life where I can or want to open a clinic in a developing country. I have student loans to pay and a degree to earn. So I guess that means I'm out. There's nothing I can do to change the world right now, so why even bother?

What? Since when does it have to be all or nothing? I do not remember Obama calling for us to make a choice between giving up the life we have now and doing nothing. There is no fine print that tells us a "call to service" means we either devote our lives to the game or not even bother showing up to the stands. We cannot do nothing. Benjamin Franklin said, "The man who achieves makes many mistakes, but he never makes the biggest mistake of all - doing nothing." Don't make that mistake. Find your passion and commit to it in whatever way possible. If you are passionate about saving the environment, you do not have to live in a tree for three months to make a statement. (Of course, if you'd like to, you should make sure you have proper provisions and are not trespassing.) Try taking a friend whose idea of nature is the "Planet Earth" DVD box set up to McAfee's Knob this fall and challenge him not to see the beauty around him. Yes, raising awareness is a service in itself. If you want to help the youth of our community, become a mentor or tutor and commit to weekly or monthly visits. Find a group at Virginia Tech doing something that piques your interest and go to a meeting. Many have pizza at the first meeting - with free food and new friends, how can you go wrong? There are well over 50 organizations on the Division of Student Affairs Web site that are dedicated to service alone. Now is the time to do it. Do not wait until tomorrow, because there will always be a tomorrow. I challenge each and every one of you reading this to make a commitment today to participate in one positive action this month. See where it takes you. Walk that soda you are drinking the five extra feet over to the recycle bin. Help a lost student find their chemistry class on time. Find a group doing something great and go to a meeting. Bring a friend.

So, what if I don't have a singular passion? What if I cannot pinpoint one issue that speaks to me more than another? Well, if you asked those questions then you are just like me. I care about animals and kids. I am passionate about feeding the hungry in Haiti as well as in my own backyard. I am equally as concerned about HIV/AIDS as I am with the ever-increasing homeless population. Where do I fit in? There are organizations out there for you, too. Visit the Poverty Awareness Coalition for Equality Web site at www.onepace.org for more info on how you can get involved.

Randi Liebermen
President of Pace