St. Dominic takes pride in their four pillars of prayer, study, community and especially, service. All students at St. Dominic are required to complete a certain amount of service hours each year. But the process is a little different for seniors, who must complete 25 hours through one organization and tell how it impacted their lives.

The seniors this year have engaged in a wide variety of different service organizations  where they have made a huge impact in not only others lives, but their own. Seniors Paige Hunt, Claire Donnelly and Ben Eusterbrock have created exciting memories at Birthright, Christpower and Vacation Bible School.

“I served at Birthright St. Charles where they provide services for pregnant women and their families. I got to organize donations, work as a receptionist, create media profiles and meet a few of the women who came in for help. This experience changed my perspective on Birthright because I learned that it helps all women, whether they need supplies, advice, medical care or just someone to talk to. It helps women make the best decisions for their families and supports them through the entire pregnancy in ways that other organizations don’t,” Hunt said.

One of the most popular service organizations that seniors took part in was Christpower. Many students participated in this week-long service retreat where they visited a different service site each day.

“My group and I visited many places throughout the week where we did a bunch of different things. I assisted the kids camp at Soccer Barn, packed food for Haiti, painted the St. Joseph cemetery fence and organized school supplies and furniture at St. Joseph in Josephville. One thing I will never forget is seeing the kids’ smiles while they begged for another piggy-back ride,” Donnelly said.

Another favorite service project was Vacation Bible School which is another week-long camp where grade school students learn about their faith. Many students traveled back to their grade schools and provided service to their home parishes.

“During VBS, all the kids at the games station were chasing me around and trying to soak me with water balloons and sponges. It was super fun to have all the kids so excited, even though I had wet clothes the rest of the day! This experience taught me how much I enjoy working with kids, especially when it comes to teaching them about faith. Giving up my time for something like that is something I definitely want to do more of in the future,” Eusterbrock said.

Impacting others in a positive way is the exact reason why providing service is so rewarding. These seniors at St. Dominic have exemplified great skills of service and lasting relationships to take with them throughout their entire life.