The smile on a little boy’s face reveals his joy in conquering a reading assignment. A little girl giggles as she learns to draw with confidence.

These are the everyday victories at Slippery Rock University’s I CARE House in New Castle. The community center, just one of SRU’s many service programs through which more than 1,100 students a semester volunteer, provides services for more than 100 disadvantaged children a month.

“One of the things I really like about Slippery Rock University is as an institution we understand the importance of developing civic-minded, socially responsible people. That’s at the heart of what we do here,” said Alice Kaiser-Drobney, director for the Institute for Community, Service-Learning and Nonprofit Leadership. The institute oversees SRU service projects.

Community service is much more than a food drive or recycling project at SRU. A commitment to service learning, social justice and equality are core, interdisciplinary values.

Students show leadership by volunteering for numerous programs, on and off campus. They tutor children, provide relief in cities nationwide over spring break, work with the homeless and lead environmental cleanups. Student volunteers head after-school programs at the Peter Rabbit Mobile Home Park (I CARE House) in New Castle, spend time with hospitalized veterans and work with those with physical and mental disabilities.

“We’re training people who will make contributions in their academic field. We’re also training people who are going to make contributions in the everyday lives of communities, their families and in schools,” Kaiser-Drobney said.

“We do that by developing this ethic of service. When people are no longer engaged, democracy is in jeopardy.”

SRU is home to more than 8,300 students, each of whom is challenged to look for ways they can leave the campus and community a better place than when they arrived.

The I CARE House opened in July 2003 in a leased Victorian house. It offers 15 programs for children and youth and 12 programs for adults. Free children’s programs include tutoring in all subjects as well as art, environment, music, newspaper, dance and youth clubs. Programs for adults include daily lunches, community gardening, healthy living seminars and home repair workshops.

Charity Bradley, a SRU community counseling graduate student who grew up in New Castle, works with children at the I CARE House.

“I like giving back to the community,” she said. “A lot of these kids are from low-income families. When they come into the house, I assist with homework and read to them.”

While children benefit from Bradley’s involvement, she finds that they brighten her day as well.

“It’s a nice feeling to see them having a good time,” she said. “If we’re out on the playground, I enjoy teaching them kickball. It’s a great feeling to come in for a snack and head upstairs to begin a homework project.”

“SRU is different. What we do is so comprehensive,” Kaiser-Drobney said. “It’s not just about only doing service projects in class. It’s not only about having a volunteer center on your campus. It’s not only about spring break or AmeriCorps. At SRU we have taken the initiative to be a one-stop shop for serving learning and civil engagement. We’re doing things locally in the community, nationally and internationally. We are thinking locally and acting locally. We’re thinking globally and acting globally.”

Many SRU degree programs require community service as a requirement. Elementary and special education majors must complete 100 hours of community service and sports management students 200 hours.

This article was submitted by Slippery Rock University.