How do you want to define your college experience? For many students at Kansas State University, it’s a question without an answer. Of course, it’s learning, but it’s also something beyond the classroom. The answer includes something with meaning beyond oneself—something that gives to others and has tangible impact. For many students, community service is the mechanism to realize that desire.
This semester, students in the Leadership and Service CAT (Connecting Across Topics) Community spent their time exploring the idea of service—what it means for them, what it means for community, and what it means for their future. Every other week, students participated in service activities that introduced them to social issues in the Manhattan Community. From handing out produce at a Mobile Food Distribution, baking cookies for the Common Table, or picking up litter on Bluemont Hill, students engaged in acts of service alongside questions and thinking about what it means to serve.
“This type of episodic service helps expose students new to Manhattan and K-State to a wide variety of opportunities to serve their community during college” said Chance Lee, Director of the Nonprofit Leadership Program and Assistant Professor at the Staley School. “Service can be incredibly personally fulfilling, but it is also a means of connection—it can help us get outside of our small bubbles and see the larger systems at play”.
The semester culminated in students planning and implementing their own idea for a service project—walking in the annual Mayors Holiday Parade. Students identified the need to promote the Dolly Parton Imagination Library and the recent expansion into the Manhattan area from the Konza United Way. They organized supplies (including a life-sized Dolly Parton cutout) and walked in the parade, passing out hundreds of candy canes and flyers and telling people how to sign up for this great literacy program. This culmination of our semester reiterated the importance of strategic efforts to support specific needs from programs when considering where to serve. 
Thank you, to nonprofit organizations who supported volunteer and service efforts this semester. Common Table, Harvesters, Konza United Way and others, all supported our ability to contribute to the Manhattan community.
CAT communities are courses to engage first-year students at K-State. They are made up of interdisciplinary students and organized around a particular interest area. Special thanks to K-State First for bringing together this group and supporting our efforts this semester.
For more information on the Leadership and Service CAT community, Nonprofit Leadership at K-State, or the Staley School of Leadership Studies, contact Chance Lee at chance@ksu.edu.
