On the Saturday morning of June 8, 2024, UVU Rotaractor , Carter Darger, Stephan Atkinson, Chris Louyoko, Rotaractor from the Congo, and myself joined more than 20 Orem-Lindon Club members and their loved ones for an all you can eat pancake breakfast at City Center Park in Orem. A combination of fundraising efforts and interacting with the community at the Orem Fest activities allowed UVU students to put into action the Student-Engaged Learning model we strive to achieve throughout our educational journey. The student engaged learning model offers the opportunity for UVU students to take leading roles on specific project implementation as a group under the mentorship of teachers, professors and staff members.
The Orem-Lindon Rotary Club pavilion during the event
This was my first time being a part of the project so I was not sure what to expect. Walking towards the pavilion that was sponsored by the Orem-Lindon Rotary Club, it was abuzz with members of the community enjoying their pancakes with their families before moving on with their day. The Rotarians worked as a well oiled machine fluttering from one place to another ensuring pancakes were ready to be consumed and that the area remained clean and open to all, under the leadership of Former Rotary President Dean Robinson.
Dean Robinson, Past Orem-Lindon Rotary Club President in command of the event
I spent time serving mixed berries to those who came through the pancake line, serving next to the young ladies of the Miss Orem scholarship program. The emphasis of service to the community was duly noted as volunteers young and old were able to come together to put on quite a busy fundraiser. Anytime those of us who were serving would run low on things, a rotarian would be on their way to refill us to continue the smooth running of the line. There were hardly any wait times as the grills were persistent in their effort of producing hot pancakes for the community. A lot of effort was made to ensure that not only the pancakes were ready, but also that there was always pancake batter available, bananas cut for toppings, and the special and very much loved buttermilk syrup were prepared.
Rotarians and Rotaractors Serving Breakfast to Local Community Members in Orem
To make events such as this successful the execution of individual roles are imperative. Cathy Ambrose, an Orem-Lindon rotarian, is the media liaison, who does an amazing job at keeping the Rotary club up to date on social media platforms.
D.J.Smith, Orem-Lindon Rotarian with his Silversmith group during breakfast
Along with the volunteers who assured us that the pancake lines were flowing effortlessly, we cannot forget to highlight the singers and musicians who serenaded our morning. The collective skills, talent, time and effort that went into making this event successful is a testament to the service above ourselves attitude of the Orem-Lindon rotary club.
(L to R): Rotarian Cholpon Akmatalieva, April Purcell and Janessa-Michell Purcell during breakfast
In my time of reflection this event has highlighted the importance of not only service within our communities but of the relationships that can be established. The rotarians are such lovely and kind people who not only embraced me, but also my mom who I dragged along with me. She enjoyed being able to participate in this project, but to also learn more about rotarians and their efforts in the community. There are opportunities for students like me to be out and about to learn more about our communities and how we can be intentional in offering service. One aspect I feel our world can use more of, is the sense of community togetherness that was surely on display at this all you can eat breakfast event. The student engaged learning model has allowed me to not only connect with the community of Orem and Lindon, but also to learn ways in which I can continue to maintain and nurture relationships to build a community that can answer the call for help in times of need.
Rotarians and Rotaractors Serving Breakfast to Local Community Members in Orem
I was especially happy to witness and participate in this event and share with my mom the many ways the UVU Rotaract club collaborates with the Orem-Lindon Rotary Club. There are many ways of radiating light and sharing it with others and the Orem-Lindon Rotary club is exceptional example of this.
Janessa-Michell Purcell, President, Utah International Mountain Forum, a coalition of student clubs at Utah Valley University
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STUDENT REFLECTIVE ESSAYS
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