Over 500 Ignatius and JCU volunteers fan out across Cleveland
By PAT BASISTA ’12
Eye Staff Reporter
What do you usually do on a typical Saturday morning? Sleep? Get up early to watch Saturday morning cartoons? Finish up that last game of Call of Duty after your mom told you to go to bed six hours ago? Or is there something else you do to take up the dreary early morning hours? Ever thought about serving the neighborhood around St. Ignatius with help from your fellow classmates and students from John Carroll University?
This year I decided to break the mold and participate in Spring Into Action. I arrived at Ignatius on a beautiful sunny morning and received my assignment for that day. There were various assignments this year due to the assistance from John Carroll, which helped celebrate the 125th anniversary of both of our schools. The activities ranged from but were not limited to: gardening, landscaping, graffitti abatement, improving a senior citizen’s home; cleaning up common Labre sites, Monroe Cemetry, Trinity Church, and the city streets. The day began with Mass with Father Murphy and then after breakfast we sprung into action.
Once I located my group, we all loaded onto a John Carroll bus. I then made my first visit to St. Herman’s House of Hospitality on Franklin Boulevard. Immediately after stepping off the bus we walked around the back and began our work. The work was hard, but enjoyable. My group had to clear the vegetation, dirt, and debris around a nearby building on Vine Court that had just sustained a fire. The brush was so overgrown onto the streets that it turned a two lane alley into a one lane alley. For two hours, we worked diligently. After our hard work was done, we went back to St. Ignatius to have lunch.
The day was perfect for service because of the pleasant and sunny weather. Although the task was difficult I had a good time. This was because I was serving others. There is a certain feeling you get when you selflessly offer your services to others. The work is both humbling and uplifting at the same time. That is why I do service. That is why I will go back again next year and I hope to see you there.
