For the past four years, Tabor Academy has held a Day of Service, an event that has allowed the entire Tabor community to interact with Southcoast communities in a more direct and personal manner than ever before.
On Wednesday, September 28, the entirety of the student body and faculty – roughly 600 people – will once again disperse into the local communities to work with over 40 organizations and programs located in the Southcoast. Major themes within the projects include education, environmental preservation, food, and repurposed items. While many of the relationships with these local organizations have existed since the inaugural Day of Service, the list has continued to grow each year.
The largest percentage of students and faculty will get the opportunity to work to preserve the breathtaking landscapes of Marion and the surrounding area. Partnerships with organizations such as the Buzzards Bay Coalition, the Lloyd Center, the YMCA, and several local lands trusts not only provide substantial manpower for critical maintenance projects, but they also give students a better understanding and appreciation for the natural world around Marion.
Among the many other service opportunities during the Day of Service is the chance to help tend to gardens at the Dartmouth YMCA or Wareham Free Library or Congregational Church, deliver furniture to people in need with My Brother’s Keeper, process donated items at Gifts to Give, or work alongside staff at the Southcoast Humane Society.
Students and faculty break up into advisory groups, comprised of no more than 10 people, and complete one of these projects across the area. For these groups, there is an added benefit to performing this service.
“I love that everyone comes together, and it’s one of the most significant bonding experiences I’ve had with my advisory,” said senior Duhita Das, a member of the Community Service Board at Tabor.
In past years, Tabor has held two days of service per year, one in the fall and one in the spring. Last year, however, the event was converted into an on-campus Special Olympics Fitness Day, which brought hundreds of people of all ages onto campus for a morning of athletics. Due to the success of the event, it will continue for this school year.
For Tabor students, the opportunities to give back to the community are by no means limited to this single Day of Service. With the help of Community Service Coordinators Lauren Boucher and Amelia Wright, the Community Service Board hosts numerous community service opportunities each week and weekend.
“This is a day where Tabor students aim to give back to our friends and neighbors who have given so much of themselves to the vibrant communities of the Southcoast,” Wright said in a press release. “It is our humble thank you and our pledge to continue the important work with our students of challenging them to carefully consider what it means to be a caring and supportive citizen of our world.”
Many of the organizations partnering with Tabor during the Day of Service also do so throughout the year. When these opportunities are announced, students are quick to volunteer, with some filling up within minutes. In addition to this Day of Service, each Tabor student takes part in community service at some point during the school year.
While service to the community for Tabor students will not end with the Day of Service, for many incoming students, it certainly will start there.
By Jack Gordon