Service for Life

Spring Hill Colleges motto reads: Forming leaders engaged in learning, faith, justice,
and service for life. This phrase is included in nearly every speech given to the student body and
printed on nearly every brochure handed out to prospective students.
One of the pillars of this motto is service. From the Foley Center for Service to Greek
organizations philanthropic efforts to service through Campus Ministry, this campus has an
abundance of service opportunities.
Senior Claire Stewart shares about her service experiences while at Spring Hill: I have
been involved in Spring Hill's ESL program, and volunteered at Little Sisters of the Poor for the
past four years. I have also done service projects with the Homeless Count of mobile, Habitat for
Humanity, and Ronald McDonald House.
Stewart, like many badgers, are so at home serving others that they have decided to
pursue service post-graduation. Through the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, Stewart will be serving in
Houston, TX, as a Pro Bono Asylum Coordinator for YMCA International Services. Jesuit
Volunteers serve for one or two years while living in community and serving at each of their
respective placement sites, which are decided through an intensive matching process.
Senior Lindsey Frechou, who also committed to a year of service with JVC, explains her
decision to apply to the program: It was always one of those opportunities that I thought would
be really impactful and moving, but I would never actually end up going for. However, senior
year came around and the possibility of experiencing a whole year of service while living with a
community of others dedicated to simplicity and spirituality just seemed like something I was
being called to and an opportunity I couldn't pass up.
Frechou will be serving in Washington D.C. as a counselor at a crisis pregnancy center
and maternity home.
Becca Van Galder, class of 2013, has spent the past year serving with JVC and recently
decided to commit to a second year of service. I decided to apply for a second year because I
feel like I have more exploring to do- the four values of jvc (social justice, spirituality,
community, and simple living) work together in such beautiful ways and I can't wait to see what
all of that looks like in a new setting with new people, Van Galder explains.
The various opportunities for post-graduation service are numerous. Some students even
pursue service on an international scale.

Senior Michael Kernahan recently began the application process for a year of service at
Friends of Jesus, a self-sustainable Catholic orphanage in Honduras that caters to abused,
abandoned, or underprivileged children.
Kernahan explains his decision: My second immersion trip planted a little seed in my
mind about potentially spending more time serving in an international setting. The more I
thought about it, the more I started to realize that I am being called to use my talents to give back
to the global community. I realized that I have my whole life ahead of me and I have absolutely
no reason not to take time now to make a small impact on the people we share this world with.
Several current seniors are currently pursuing a post-graduation service opportunity and
Van Galder encourages more students to do the same. She says, This year has been so full of
challenges but I've met some incredible people and gotten to experience living with a completely
new perspective. It's not at all what I expected it to be like, but totally worth it!
But why is it worth it? Why give up time during the week to serve at an elderly assistance
facility or homeless shelter? And why commit to an entire year, or even two, of service?
Stewart believes that service is important because through service, lives are changed.
You never forget the faces you meet while doing acts of acts of charity because it is through
these acts no matter how small that a life is changed in some way. The life that is changed can be
yours or the person that is allowing your presence within their life, she shares.
Service for life is a phrase that students at Spring Hill College do not take lightly. From
serving on campus to around the community to around the country and even the international
community, badgers are committing their lives to service.