I am a Service Advocate for Learning Unlimited. Learning Unlimited is a program where Salve Regina students are paired with partners from Newport and the surrounding area. The partners that the students are paired with are developmentally or physically disabled. Students complete various games and activities with their partners, including but not limited to yoga, painting, decorating reusable cups, and making holiday cards. I was inspired to join Learning Unlimited because I have always had a passion for helping people, as well as trying to make the world a better and more accepting place. I knew I wanted to do community service when I arrived at Salve Regina because I had completed community service in the past and it was incredibly fulfilling and enhanced my sense of purpose. The most prevalent example of community service I have completed includes co-leading a cooking class for students at the local elementary school in my hometown.
I also volunteered at that same elementary school reading to kids over Zoom during the pandemic. I knew I wanted to become a service advocate after I completed the Service Plunge. The Service Plunge was an amazing opportunity for first-year students to volunteer at Newport community partners one week before they started their education at Salve. The plungees volunteered at eight locations, some of which included Donovan Manor, Norman Bird Sanctuary, and Gifts to Give.
I really appreciated the Service Plunge because it gave me the opportunity to help those in the community of Newport who desperately needed it. It also encouraged me to further pursue service at Salve Regina as a service advocate, and further my commitment to the city of Newport.
*Service Advocates volunteering at Dare to Dream Ranch and God’s Community Garden (Summer/Fall 2022)
