Wellness goes beyond what’s on your plate or how many steps you take in a day. Wellness is holistic and includes how we feel and how we view our place in our communities.
With that in mind, Kent State University staff were invited to an open-house Service Day in Heer Hall on Tuesday, Mar. 2, to support the local community.
March is dedicated to personal and professional development through community service, according to Madison Massey, coordinator of Employee Wellness and Health Promotion.
Community Engaged Learning supports service projects for employees that not only benefit the community but also bring people together and promote well-being.
Massey is excited to be a part of this initiative and sees it as an opportunity to make a positive impact.
“I think when people think wellness, they think of diet, exercise, your typical wellness things you hear every day,” Massey said.“But we focus on all aspects of wellness and especially wellbeing, so if you think about something you've done, something good for someone else, it makes you feel good.”
Small groups joined together, chatting and helping each other with the projects.
Participants made “no sew” tie pillows for a pet shelter, placemats for a nursing home and encouragement cards for a middle school, all local to Kent. She said Kent State’s Community Engaged Learning offers resources to get supplies, so that partnership was appreciated, Massey said.
“It's always good to give back to the community that you're working in, in my opinion,” Patti Davis, coordinator of Leave and Disabilities Benefits, said. “A little bit of a break from work and I get to know my coworkers in a different way, doing good for the community.”
Massey provided the participants with multiple QR codes leading to websites highlighting volunteer opportunities through Community Engaged Learning and Flashes Fighting Hunger.
“That's what I'm doing here, making the community feel good and bringing everyone together. Instead of working all day and being stressed, you can come down and do something good, while taking a break from your day,” Massey said.
Participants were eager to help with each project and got to work as soon as they entered the room. Davis said she regularly participates in these events and reflected on how rewarding it is to give back. She and many others make it a priority to register for wellness events the program supports.
“We're trying to promote work-life balance, and I think this feeds right into that goal,” Davis said.