Rachel Franklin

During this service event, I planted trees, bushes, and shrubs at the J.C. Reuthinger Memorial Preserve. We also had some extra time left at the end, so our group collected seeds from the dead flowers that bloomed earlier in the season. This event would fall under the educational environmentalism and campus sustainability category. This was really fun to attend, and I was able to help rejuvenate the areas of the preserve that needed some help. I also learned the process of collecting seeds and preparing them for planting in the next season. This event lasted about 2 hours and was a greats hands on opportunity to help support community wildlife.

As a volunteer for Letters of Love, I participated by creating two cards that contained encouraging and uplifting messages for kids in pediatric care who are experiencing extreme or terminal illnesses. While making the cards, I focused on writing positive words that could bring comfort and happiness to the recipients, as staying in hospitals for extended periods of time can affect a person's mentality. This event would fall under the category of children and youth community enrichment. I designed each card to be welcoming and thoughtful because I wanted the individuals receiving them to feel cared for and appreciated. This experience allowed me to contribute to promoting emotional support and kindness within communities. Although creating two cards may seem like a small action, I learned that simple gestures could have a powerful impact on someone's emotional well-being, reflecting who I want to be as a Thompson Scholar. Overall, I've participated in many of these events over the years and will continue to do so! I feel like I made a meaningful contribution during this event and rate my experience 5/5!

On Friday, August 28th, my group and I were tasked with going to the Psychology building and shutting off all the lights as a part of the Friday Night Lights Org. This allows BGSU to save thousands of dollars in power and electricity every year. The issue in this service event can fall within the educational environmentalism and campus sustainability category. It was cool to explore parts of the building that I hadn’t been to before and to help make the energy usage more cost- and waste-efficient. It's nice to know that there are people who are focused and dedicated to simplifying how much energy BGSU as a school uses. College campuses, or really any major infrastructure that houses and serves large quantities of people, require a lot of power, which takes money and resources. With that in mind, students must take the initiative to prevent unnecessary expenses and waste that are a product of our educational opportunities. I've attended many of these events over the two and a half years of attending BGSU, and a majority of the people who attend are Thompson scholars, which I think is very cool; as a Thompson scholar, I believe our group made a meaningful contribution during this experience. Overall, rating it 5 out of 5. (I unfortunately did not get any pictures of me at this service opportunity)

During this event, I made two cards for kids in pediatric care in hospitals. I've been to many of these events within my two years of going to BGSU and I will continue to do so. They start every meeting off with an introduction of the club and give an idea of what the cards should look like. The members do a good job at explaining what terms to use and how to make it appealing to kids. Overall, this is a fun event where you can socialize, earn hours and do something nice for others.