UChicago Medicine staff, family, and friends gave a shout out, then they were ready to go serve their community. Hundreds of volunteers gathered for the 16th annual Day of Service and Reflection. The event has grown over the years. 32 people signed up for the original Day of Service and Reflection. This year, more than 10 times that number participated.
We get caught up in our work, our day-to-day work, what we do normally. And this is not that. This is giving back to the community in a way that-- it's about being human beings, and serving in a way that's just-- it's not about how you earn your day-to-day pay.
Community gardens, daycare centers, churches, and other South Side agencies were helped.
We need more servant leaders, who you may be a doctor by trade, but you're also a servant. And so to take their hands, and to bring them to work in this corridor in Englewood, you have put a smile not on our faces, but in our hearts.
One organization was the Theace Goldsberry Community House. Their mission includes helping young women in the Englewood community. The house had kitchen cabinets donated, but the cabinets needed staining, and that was accomplished by the UChicago Medicine team.
And as you can see, we have many expert workers over here, who are doing an outstanding job. It looks much better than it did when we started. And this is going to transform the usefulness of this kitchen for the young women who take advantage of the programming here.
Many of the organizations needed help outdoors with planting, weeding, and beautifying. Community gardens are a growing part of the South Side landscape, and are a valuable asset to local residents.
And a lot of our seniors don't have cars to go to the grocery store. So that's a 4 and 1/2 mile walk, round trip walk, to put a bell pepper on their table.
The effort by these volunteers illustrates their work as servant leaders. And the work performed by the agencies who are helped is inspirational. Often, they have to accomplish their mission with limited resources, while having an impact far beyond what their resources should allow.
Once again, we are blessed to be able to have you all come and stand alongside us to show these children that they are special, they are loved, and they do deserve the best.
At the end of the day, volunteers were tired but happy. They know they helped make their community better through their efforts. They also learned something in the process.
I loved it because we went to a lot of different places in the community. And it was real educational because some of these places, you didn't even know that they existed until you came to this event.
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