Benson Elbert

Sophomores Laina Gailey and Paisley Gorans clear weeds at Yo’Ville Community Garden and Farm for Fresno Christian Serve Day.

As the 18th consecutive Fresno Christian Serve Day comes to a close, students are left with the feeling of fulfillment from serving the Fresno and Clovis communities. FC History teacher Robert Foshee coordinates with various organizations and non-profits in the area to create opportunities for students to get out of the classroom and learn how they can make a difference. These hands-on experiences cultivate hearts of servitude in students before they enter the adult world, encouraging them to find a good fit to continue giving back long after they leave Fresno Christian.

Students spread their efforts across 12 different locations, allowing them to choose from a variety of activities to find one they felt drawn to. Leadership students lead the event, splitting themselves across all of the locations. Even though it is a few mere hours of service, the sacrifice blesses the community, helping first those who help others. While locations like Mayor Jerry Dyer’s Graffiti Clean Up program and The Central California Food Bank are always the most popular, the Marjaree Mason Center was introduced as a new opportunity this year. 

The impact of willing hands allows these locations to manage the broader issues without worrying about minute tasks. The Marjaree Mason Center works hard to provide accommodating spaces to house people experiencing domestic abuse. Marjaree Mason Center staff member Forrist Reed notes that having student volunteers paint a few rooms of the sanctuary was a helpful boost to their efforts.

“Being a multi-site operation with a small team, we don’t always have a lot of time to do some of the lower-priority items versus the preventative maintenance type stuff that does take precedence over things like painting a room,” Reed said.

Students find joy in serving amongst their peers, equipping themselves for servitude with hearts for the Lord. While tasks can be repetitive and laborious, the volunteers make memories and connections that foster community interrelations. It is an opportunity to learn more about what the programs they hear about on a daily basis are doing in the community and how they can get involved.

FC student Zabel Sequeira served at CrossCity Christian Church to help clean up their campus and community spaces. She is new to the school this year and sees Serve Day as a unique opportunity that many other schools don’t get to participate in. 

“Serving isn’t just about helping out, it’s about building community and continuing in the Lord’s name,” Sequeira said. “Essentially, if you’re creating community, you can learn from each other, and it’s really empowering.”

A majority of Fresno Christian staff are also involved in charity work of their own, encouraging students to find their place and do the same. FC Anatomy and Physiology, Biology and AP Biology teacher Dr. Karen Walters previously served at “Showers of Hope” with Cornerstone Church.

“If everyone got a day to serve like this, I think it would be amazing because so many more students would appreciate what’s going on in the community,” Walters said. “We did so much more today for Marjaree Mason Center as a team than they could get done in a couple days, so it really is a way to help and learn about what’s happening in our community.”

From community churches to food banks to beautifying the town, students were introduced to community needs and opportune moments to be the change they want to see in the world. Though some of the tasks may have felt mundane, students left having accomplished goals for these organizations that might have been overlooked otherwise. 

The Yo’Ville Community Garden and Farm utilizes vacant agricultural land to provide tools and opportunities for residents in the area to learn to grow their own food. Freshman Kate Antonsen spent her first Serve Day pulling weeds, clearing pathways and meeting with all of the fellows at Yo’Ville.

“I had a good time doing it, and it motivated me to serve more,” Antonsen said. “I learned how simple it is to give back to the community and how fun it can be to do it with my peers.”

Each year, FC Serve Day offers new options to keep students engaged and expose them to more areas of the community in need of service. As a school blessed with the ability to give back, students continue year after year in their discipleship.

For more about the history of Fresno Christian Serve Day, visit Students serve with hearts and hands and Serve Day encourages local partnership.

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