Celebration of Service
March 27, 2007, Reitz Rion Ballroom
The Center for Leadership and Service holds an annual Celebration of Service to recognize community members for their exceptional commitment to service. Students, faculty, University staff, non-profit agencies, and local businesses have been recognized at this event in the past. Descriptions of this year's award recipients are below:
2006 Celebration of Service Awards Winners
Adrian Gonzalez ~ Volunteer of the
Year
Megan Silbert ~ Service Learning Faculty
Member
Darius Bost ~ Staff Member of the Year
of the Year
Bowls ~ Community Support of Volunteerism
Heal the World ~ Student Organization of the
Year
Adrian Gonzalez ~ Volunteer of the Year
As the Service Chair for Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity, Adrian has infused service in to the activities of his chapter. His passion for service-learning has been contagious and he has provided numerous opportunities for his brothers to become involved in the community, while also teaching them the value of service and encouraging a commitment to civic engagement among the brotherhood.
Adrian went far above and beyond his duties as Service Chair when he offered to help in the planning of our inaugural Florida Greek Service Day. Adrian was an indispensable component to the planning process – in fact, so much so that his peers began referring to him as “The Link!” Adrian served as “the link” between the Center for Leadership and Service and the Greek community, and did so freely and willingly.
Megan Silbert ~ Service Learning Faculty Member
Megan Silbert is the Associate Director for Professional Development Programs in the Warrington College of Business. In her current role, Megan oversees Warrington Welcome, Florida Leadership Academy, Warrington Student Ambassadors and the UF SIFE Team. As a advocate for service and service-learning, Megan has been integral to the development of Warrington Welcome is a first-year seminar that seeks to provide personal development in the areas of diversity, ethical behavior, business leadership, teamwork and community service. This year, Megan, along with staff at St. Francis House, planned an entire weekend of service geared to help students learn that homelessness is a serious social issue facing Gainesville. The service projects spanned from Saturday, Oct. 22 to Monday, Oct. 24. The students played with children at the main shelter, painted, weeded, cleaned, and served in the kitchen
Darius Bost ~ Staff Member of the Year Service Award
Darius Bost has not only promoted service to University of Florida students but has actively participated in serving the community as well. He has promoted serving the underserved through programmatic efforts such as “Give Up Chocolate on the Set,” to raise awareness about children enslaved in cocoa plantations in West Africa, a book drive for Gainesville Books for Prisoners, Drives for Hurricane Katrina evacuees relocated to Gainesville. Darius actively support many programs sponsored by Center for Leadership and Service such as the Gator Plunge, Thanksgiving Basket Drive, as well as the Hope for the Holidays Christmas Drive. Most recently, Darius served as chaperone for the 2006 Florida Alternative Break trip to New Orleans during winter break, gutting houses to aid Hurricane victims in their efforts to rebuild. This trip he says, “…has served him more than he has served.”
Bowls ~ Community Support of Volunteerism
Although brand new to the Gainesville area, the local business has demonstrated to community service is an important to its mission. Bowls has been one of the vital supporters of Florida Alternative Breaks, Project MASCOT and Recurso, to name just a few student organizations who have solicited Bowls for assistance in doing community service. Bowls not only allows this groups to use its facility for fundraisers but does everything is can to help student achieve the goals of helping those less fortunate than themselves.
Heal the World ~ Student Organization of the Year
Every year groups of doctors such as Doctors without Borders travel around
the world on missions to aide the poor and needy, donating their time and
energy to help others. Created as an opportunity for undergraduate students
at UF to go on these trips, Heal the World, sent a group of students to accompany
a group of doctors from Doctors Goodwill Foundation to a medical mission trip
to India. On this trip, the students and doctors set up three clinics in villages
aiding over 650 patients a day over a course of 5 days. An active group in
Florida, the student volunteer at Diabetes Campus, Camp Boggy Creek as well
with Sidney Lanier and spread awareness of Global Health issues through the
community.