My name is Julian Ridler and I just finished my second semester with the Adopt A Spot Program at the Hattiesburg USM campus. Adopt A Spot is a sub-program of the anti-liter initiative that came in 2015 and gives students the unique opportunity to personally adopt one of 33 individual “spots” on the USM campus.…
This spring 2021 semester I took the opportunity to volunteer in a variety of organizations and events that ranged from directing runners in a half marathon to digging up weeds near the Walker Science Building. The majority of my service hours came from working with the USM Office of Sustainability which was a new experience…
For my spring 2021 semester service, I decided to volunteer with Meals on Wheels which is a part of the Christian Services organization located here in Hattiesburg. Meals on Wheels is a program where volunteers drop off meals to underprivileged and elderly residents of Hattiesburg who usually have no other method of getting the food…
Last semester, I discovered Amnesty International’s “Write for Rights” campaign and was immediately drawn to this cause. People all over the world are unjustly arrested in a violation of their human rights. One example is the arrest of Nassima al-Sada. Nassima worked to advocate for the rights of women and minorities in Saudi Arabia and…
I have been serving at Southern Pines Animal Shelter since the fall 2019. Though I’ve always considered myself a “cat AND dog person,” my range of volunteer work has solidified that fact for me. During my time at SPAS, I have served as both a Canine Companion and a Cat Care Provider. When I tell…
Having been born and raised in a small, rural town, my access to performing arts as a child was limited. Aside from singing and occasionally acting out Bible stories at my church, there weren’t very many opportunities for me to participate in preforming arts locally. My small town has no community theatre, and until last…
Another semester of distant and virtual learning left me struggling with a way to give back to my community. I feel like the word “struggle” has been used in everyone’s vocabulary more often than usual this year. I sure know that it has been used in mine more so than ever. I found myself constantly…
Once classes concluded this semester, I thought about where I wanted to complete my Luckyday service hours. I have previously served at locations such as Southern Pines Animal Shelter and The Fieldhouse for the Homeless, but another Luckyday scholar convinced me to volunteer alongside her this time. She informed me that she had contact information…
This semester, my service looked very different! Usually, I volunteer somewhere that I can interact with people, such as the Arc of Southeast Mississippi. However, because of the pandemic, my options were very limited. I took Zoology this semester where the teacher connected us to an organization called the Mississippi Inland Cleanup Program. This organization…
For my service hours last semester I made homemade dog treats and donated them to Southern Pines Animal Shelter. This semester I wanted to try something a little different. I decided to make handmade dog toys out of denim and water bottles. I chose denim because I knew that it was a thicker fabric that…
This spring semester was a bit different for me. I originally expected to return to Southern Pines Animal Shelter, but it didn’t fit well into my schedule. So instead I began volunteering at Edwards Street Fellowship food pantry. The interesting thing about this is that Edwards Street was the first place I ever volunteered for…
This past year I was provided with the opportunity to serve my community by helping with a new house build for a veteran who unfortunately lost his home due to a fire. A volunteer group, “Armorbearers,” reached out to my Army ROTC organization to invite us to help out with an organization called “Operation Finally…
Last semester, I embarked in writing to residents of nursing homes in the Hattiesburg area. Not only was I creating for others, thinking of thoughtful messages that would make someone’s day, but it filled me up as well. I was so grateful during such an odd time in all of our lives that I had…
Since my freshman year, I have been volunteering as an Ambassador at Forrest General Hospital. Even though I have been volunteering there for years now, it never gets boring or repetitive. There is always someone new to meet and have a conversation with or a new task to do that I haven’t ever done before. Ms.…
This semester, I have had the honor of volunteering with The Denyce Graves Foundation, led and founded by the legendary opera superstar Denyce Graves-Montgomery. The Foundation’s genesis came about as a result of many factors. Last fall, I produced and helped create a cooking show with Denyce, titled “Cooking with Denyce,” that reached over 250,000…
Sharing Luckyday 