By Mary Stadnyk, Associate Editor

For students, faculty and staff of Georgian Court University, Lakewood, it was a great privilege to have their school recognized with a national honor for its commitment to community service.

And while the entire GCU community was proud to be named to the 2015 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, a program that recognizes colleges and universities that support exemplary community service programs.

 Karissa Merkel, assistant director for student leadership/engagement, prefers to focus on the importance of community service involvement at GCU and the impact students can have when giving their time and talent to helping others.

“Our students realize they’re not just storing food or cleaning something when they serve,” said Merkel, a member of St. Robert Bellarmine Parish, Freehold. “They realize they’re helping somebody and making a difference.”

Reflecting on the national honor, Evelyn Saul Quinn, university vice president for mission integration, noted that GCU was recognized in the general community service category, which highlights the qualitative impact university service programs have on the community. Honorees are chosen based on the scope and innovation of service projects, as well as measurable community outcomes. The most current honor roll evaluates service completed during the 2013-14 academic year, and at GCU, students, faculty and campus community members donated 71,000 service hours to worthy causes.

“One of the most important hallmarks of the GCU community is service,” said Quinn. “Everyone is dedicated to contributing to a world in need, both locally and as global citizens.”

Noting that GCU’s community involvement is broad and far-reaching, Quinn cited various projects and charities with which the campus provides assistance. Among them are: Team Impact and the Make-a-Wish Foundation, both of which address children facing life-threatening or chronic illnesses; Faces 4 Autism, which provides autism education and resources to families and educators in the South Jersey area and helps to improve the lives of individuals on the autism spectrum through social opportunities and programs that will foster self-advocacy, independence and dignity; Read Across America, a reading awareness initiative created by the National Education Association, and Ocean’s Harbor House, a Toms-River based organization that provides a safe haven and caring environment for runaway and at-risk youth.

Other outreach efforts in which GCU serves include hosting back-to-school drives for Catholic Charities, Diocese of Trenton; taking up Christmas collections for the homeless; assisting at the Laurelton Village, a senior adult health care facility in Brick, and distributing gifts to children and foster families at the Children’s Home in Trenton.

Merkel acknowledged that when it comes to performing works of service, many often question if their contributions will make a difference. She responds by saying that service “means seeing that your actions have a ripple effect and that just a few minutes out of your day can be more meaningful than you’ll ever know.”

Such a message resonated with GCU graduate student Chelsea Sikora, who shared about her work with Habitat for Humanity. She recounted when she and 10 fellow students spent the day helping to prepare a home in Freehold so that a family could obtain a certificate of occupancy. The students’ work involved digging holes so that drain pipes could be installed.

“It wasn’t glamorous work,” said Sikora, who also works in St. Francis Community Center, Long Beach Island. “But having 11 pairs of hands to help meant a family could move into their home sooner.”

“Having the opportunity to help someone have a stable place to live was a powerful moment,” she said. “Community service allows us to see beyond ourselves, and that’s important.”