![\"investment\"](\"http:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/investment.jpg\")
<\/a>\nAn impressive 26,000 volunteer hours were given last year by Georgia Southern students around Statesboro and beyond, but equally impressive is what they \u2013 and those they have helped \u2013 received from the experience.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn our office we talk about service being the purest expression of leadership,\u201d said Todd Deal, director of the University\u2019s Office of Student Leadership and Civic Engagement. \u201cThat\u2019s the culture of who we are as educators. It\u2019s not only about being the Student Government Association president.\u201d<\/p>\n
Deal, who was a guest this summer on the Fox News Channel to talk about Georgia Southern students\u2019 community service efforts, said that his task is made a bit easier by what he described as the millennial generation\u2019s \u2018propensity to serve.\u2019 \u201cThey\u2019ve been compared to the Greatest Generation \u2013 all about America; all about serving,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Students do receive tangible rewards for their efforts \u2013 a formal service transcript for those who log 200 hours with the Office during their time at Georgia Southern that can be used as part of an employment search or graduate school application.<\/p>\n
But, he said, the intangibles are just as rewarding. \u201cOur office is one of the primary units that can build bridges with Statesboro and Bulloch County, because we\u2019re engaging our students in a non-economic way, but they\u2019re still investing in the community. A lot of people use the term \u2018giving back.\u2019 There\u2019s nothing wrong with that, but I like to use the term \u2018investing in.\u2019<\/p>\n
You\u2019re not just giving and going away,\u201d he said. \u201cInvestment is long-term. You\u2019re giving and giving and putting yourself out there for the community.\u201d<\/p>\n
Deal frequently gets feedback from students about their volunteer experiences, whether just off campus or offshore. One nursing major recently told him her volunteer work has brought focus to her career goals. \u201cThe Alternative Spring Break program is the most impactful on students because they\u2019re gone for a week and serving,\u201d said Deal. \u201cShe had done multiple alternative break trips and all had something to do with working with children. She told me, \u2018I have been struggling for so long with what I want to do with my nursing major, and these trips have solidified for me that I want to be a pediatric nurse. I want to work with children.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s a great statement to say that this out-of-classroom experience has helped me figure out what I really want to do with my degree,\u201d said Deal. \u201cThat\u2019s what we\u2019re all about.\u201d<\/p>\n
Likewise, those who receive assistance are often profoundly touched by the student\u2019s efforts. Their work helps individuals and agencies progress in ways they otherwise could not.<\/p>\n
After a group worked in the Bahamas last year, Bahamian parents of current Georgia Southern students made a request. \u201cThey told us, \u2018We so much appreciate what you are doing,\u2019\u201d said Deal. \u201c\u2018Would you allow us to set up opportunities here because there\u2019s so much that can make an impact.\u2019 I said, \u2018Yes, absolutely.\u2019 Right now, the Bahamian students on campus are planning our Bahamas trip. They\u2019re going to pick who we work with to provide the most benefit for the entire community.\u201d<\/p>\n
To learn more about community service efforts by University students along with photos and student profiles and service opportunities, please visit www.georgiasouthern.edu\/communityservice<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n