By Deborah Bailey,
AFRO D.C. Editor
The Hilltop is open! Classes have started for Howard University students coming from all corners of the globe this week– but did you know the real start of the Howard University School year happens the week before classes?
This year – as they have for the past several years – incoming Howard University students participated in service and community engagement projects across Washington, D.C. and the surrounding DMV communities to acclimate incoming students to Howard’s motto of “Excellence in Truth and Service.”
More than 1,400 fanned out across the city during Howard University’s ninth annual Howard University Day of Service, organized by the Rev. Bernard L. Richardson, Ph.D., dean of the Howard University chapel.
“Service allows our students to discover and learn about the power of ethical leadership,” Richardson said.
The “back to school” service event is modeled on Howard’s internationally celebrated Alternative Spring Break program that sends students across the world each year, said University officials.
This year, Howard students, faculty and staff participated in service projects at several sites across the DMV. Howard University will focus on community-building initiatives and start the academic year with an experiential emphasis on poverty reduction, educational enhancement, environmental preparedness, addressing health disparities and housing injustice.
Students conducted projects at the Congress Heights Community Training and Development Corporation, Anacostia High School in Southeast D.C., and at A Wider Circle, a non-profit organization located in D.C. located in Silver Spring, Md.
Howard University’s commitment to serving the community is one of the five key pillars of “Howard Forward,” the university’s 2019-2024 strategic plan.
“We will serve our community with collaborative partnerships that transcend Howard’s borders,” said Wayne A. I. Frederick, Howard University’s president.
Although volunteer service hours at the institution declined slightly in 2020 during the heart of the COVID-19 pandemic, service hours and impact to the community have rebounded, according to Rashad Young, senior vice president and chief strategy officer.
The University currently estimates the total value of service to the community of more than $350,000 with plans to exceed $1 million in community service value to the University’s neighbors this coming academic year, according to Young.
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