On Nov. 10, BYU collaborated with multiple college campuses across Utah to participate in the second annual Utah College Day of Service.
This day was originally founded by former BYU Student Body President Fritz-Carl Morlant to inspire students to unite and serve within their communities.
From 9 a.m. to noon, students met at the BYU Harman Building, where they participated in various service activities dedicated to different organizations, which will distribute the finished projects to individuals in need.
Students mingled over complimentary hot chocolate and sat at tables with instructions and supplies for each service project.
BYU freshman Caitlyn Gomez decided to participate after speaking with students promoting the event at a booth in the BYU Wilkinson Center.
Gomez and her peers wrote Thanksgiving cards to be included in meal baskets for refugees who do not have a place to go for the holidays.
"I'm putting some use into my time, and the activities aren't difficult at all. They are really simple, and you can put so much thought into them as well," Gomez said.
She added that despite the sports rivalries and biases that Utah college campuses may have, it was nice to see students set their differences aside for a day and come together for the greater good of the community.
"There are so many colleges that I haven't heard of, but they are still putting in all this effort to help the state of Utah and beyond," Gomez said.
BYU freshman Parker Willoughby was looking for an opportunity to serve to complete an assignment for his religion class. After seeing a flyer for the Utah College Day of Service in the Wilkinson Center, he decided to come.
Willoughby invited his roommate to accompany him to the event, where they cut out puzzle pieces to go into kits given to children to help them learn to count and develop fine motor skills.
"I think it's fun to see all the different options and the different ways there are to serve. Nothing is too complicated; it's all stuff that's really easy to do," Willoughby said.
BYU Vice President of the Student Service Council Lindsey Clark said being involved in planning the event this year has allowed her to engage with and get to know more student groups. The Student Service Council collaborated in part with BYUSA.
One of Clark's favorite parts of the event was watching the BYU Adaptive Show Choir perform. The program pairs volunteers and individuals with special needs to learn music and dance together.
"That's always a highlight for me, seeing them perform and giving them a chance to shine," Clark said.
Clark believes that having multiple Utah campuses dedicate a day to serving their communities is an incredible way to create a sense of unity across the state.
"I think that's really why we wanted to do it. It was not only doing good in our individual communities, but creating a sense of 'we're in this together' as students and citizens of Utah," Clark said.
Other service projects held in the Harman Building included preparing grocery bags to be made into sleeping mats for refugees and the homeless, writing letters to veterans and current military members and popping out the lenses of used glasses so the frames could be donated and reused.
Despite not knowing the initiative's exact future, Clark said the goal is for the Utah College Day of Service to become an annual event.
"We very much want to continue involving universities across the state in doing some sort of service together," Clark said.