NFL linebacker rewards students who offer time, not money
This past weekend, Buffalo Bills player Arthur Moats made the trip to campus to talk to members of the St. Bonaventure community. This was all the result of volunteering, or at least the pledge to do so.
In partnership with The United Way and VolunTeen Nation, Moats helped encourage 2,000 people to sign a pledge to volunteer in their communities, an impressive feat. Whether it was students, faculty, alumni or other members of the community, people came together in the hopes of earning the opportunity to meet an NFL linebacker.
St. Bonaventure community members should be proud of the fact a goal was set and that we were able to meet it with such fervor.
“It was an amazing accomplishment for 2,000 people to make a pledge to volunteer,” said organizer of the event, senior social entrepreneurship and altruism major, Simone Bernstein.
It’s refreshing to hear how people raised something other than money these days.
“It is important that we consider giving our time to support organizations in need of volunteers,” Bernstein, co-founder of VolunTeen Nation, said. “Volunteers are critical to the survival of organizations.”
We are constantly being asked to donate a dollar for this cause, but volunteering your time can be just as, if not more beneficial. It is easy to throw money at something and not really understand why or what the cause is, but by pledging to donate your time, you pick the cause you feel is most deserving.
Maybe people were not excited about volunteering and simply signed the pledge in the hopes of Moats making an appearance at Bona’s. However if that was the case, I am sure their moods changed by the end of the lecture.
The talk began with the community outreach and development coordinator for the Buffalo Bills, Dan McCarthy, ‘10, ‘12, explaining the four different avenues of volunteerism the Bills work with.
Players volunteer to raise awareness for breast cancer research, military support, physical fitness and they help with general community outreach. No matter what type of volunteerism you are interested in, there was something there for everyone.
We should be proud of our ability to reach a goal, but we should also be thankful that Moats is passionate enough about volunteering that he was willing to give up his own time to congratulate us.
Now it is up to those who signed the pledge to make good on their promise.
Deirdre Spilman is an associate editor for The Bona Venture. Her email is spilmadm10@bonaventure.edu.
