Raine Smith

1. Reflect...(past)
-What positive social change occurred through this experience, both to you personally and to the
community you served?
A positive social change that occurred to me through this experience is that I got to volunteer at a
new place. I had to take a small training course, so now I am able to volunteer for this program
anytime they hold it, which is usually the second Wednesday of every month. The community
experienced a positive social change because members of it were able to get food that they
maybe otherwise wouldn’t be able to have. Since Thanksgiving was only a few weeks after this
event, food items for a thanksgiving dinner were included, such as stuffing, fresh normal and
sweet potatoes, and even a frozen turkey. Normal items, such as juice, cereal, eggs, milk,
applesauce, and crackers were also included in the boxes. Items were available outside, such as
bread, fresh vegetables and fruits (pineapples, potatoes, sweet potatoes, avocados), prepared
salads, and frozen turkeys. I was able to help those in need in my community, and those in need
were able to get foods and beverages that they otherwise may not have had access to, and in a
time of rising food prices, this program was able to help roughly 100 families in my community.
-How did you embody Catholic Social Teaching? (Choose principles from the CST Handout)
I embodied the Catholic Social Teachings of human dignity, community and the common good,
rights and responsibilities, option for the poor and vulnerable, participation, stewardship of
creation, solidarity, and promotion of peace. The Catholic Church proclaims that life is sacred,
and dignity is the foundation of a moral vision; this principle is embodied by placing value on all
life and providing all people with dignity. Our current global culture is driven by individualism,
programs like this go against this individualism and hold the lives of others in great importance.
Catholic traditions say that human rights need to be protected in order to achieve a healthy
community; food is a human right, but no one that everyone has access to, so this food program
helps people meet their basic necessities and rights. The treatment of the poor and vulnerable is a
moral test for society; helping those in need benefits society as a whole by connecting people,
making people happier, reducing stress levels, and strengthens the community.
All people have a right to participate in society and a fundamental demand for justice and
requirement for human dignity; this program allows people in need the right to participate in
society and function within it. Stewardship of creation is all about showing respect and
protecting people and the planet, and programs like this allow us to both protect people and show
respect towards them; we do not think them failures for not being able to afford food, we help
them in a nurturing, positive way that provides them with basic human necessities. These
Catholic teachings proclaim that we, humans, are one family and solidarity means loving
everyone; these programs provide a great sense of solidarity to those in need, and allows those
more fortunate to care for those in need. Catholic teachings promote positive action, of which
this program, and programs like it, are.
This program allowed me to embody many of the Catholic Social Teachings: I got to take care of
and protect those in need; I was able to help people through positive action; I was able to provide
a sense of dignity for those in need when they may otherwise be made to feel ashamed and
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embarrassed; I got to help my community and those in it by doing the good and right thing; I was
able to show my respect for life by providing a service to those in need without any ulterior
motive.
-How does serving connect to the University's mission, pillars, and history?
Serving connects to Seton Hill University’s mission, pillars, and history in many ways. Seton
Hill’s mission is to educate students to be productive members of society with a commitment to
transforming the world. Serving is a way of transforming the world in a positive and ethical way
and allows all those serving to be productive members of society. Seton Hill’s pillars are
welcoming, learning, celebrating, and serving. Through serving, you are able to create and foster
a welcoming community that accepts diversity; through your education you become well-
equipped to ask the right questions and make moral choices, which will be reflected in your
service; serving celebrates human life by helping those in need; serving allows us to use our
knowledge and skills to transform the world and allows us to act on our commitments to justice
and compassion. The history of Seton Hill is full of acts of service and helping build people up,
so serving your local community is very similar to the history of Seton Hill. Seton Hill started as
a small college for locals and is now a college with students from around the world; you never
know how one small program or project could change the world, so you should never feel like
one act is too small, because it could have a huge, lasting impact on the world and those in it.
-How do you feel now about any anxieties you had prior to the experience?
I had a few anxieties prior to this experience because I had never volunteered at this location, and
I didn’t know anyone there. I feel much better now and have lost all anxieties I had about this. I
now know the people who organize the events, who help in the preparation, and know who to
talk to about volunteering there. There was a small training course I had to do before I could
volunteer, but now that I’ve completed that, I am able to volunteer for this program whenever I
want. I also held some anxieties that there would not be enough food available as I was unsure of
what the turn out usually was, but we had more than enough food for everyone that came, and we
were even able to let everyone take extra of whatever products they wanted.
-What did you enjoy most about serving?
What I enjoy the most about serving is helping people. When people get items that they need, or
any help that they need, they lose (part of) their burden of stress, and that’s what I love to see.
There is definitely a stigma associated with getting items from food banks and free food
programs, and many people often feel ashamed and embarrassed by having to rely on these
sources. When I volunteer, I always try to make sure everyone knows that there’s nothing to feel
bad about and that these programs are available for people to use because many people are in the
same situation.
I enjoy volunteering and participating in community service because I understand the importance
of these things. I did not grow up in a household with much money, sometimes we had no
money, so I understand how important these kinds of programs are for a lot of people. I am not
someone that takes anything for granted, I am always thankful for the things I have, and I know
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that I have a lot of things many other people do not and may not ever have. I am so thankful that
I was raised by my dad because I constantly saw, and continue to see, his hard work and how
that hard work pays off. I enjoy serving because I like helping people that others forget about or
deem as unworthy. It is so important to help these people and lift them up, because the
government wont and the system is not made to help people in need.

2. Connect...(present)
-Look at serving through philosophical lenses. What are some various philosophical standpoints
that may motivate someone to serve? Did you feel motivated by a particular one? Explain. (for
example, Aristotle talks about virtue ethics, or Mill's utilitarianism of creating greater happiness
for the greatest number, which could be philosophical impetus for serving; however, since this
was a requirement for the course, perhaps Hobbes's egoism was your motivation).
There are various philosophical standpoints that could motivate someone to serve, such as
morals, value, and ethics. I understand how one could feel motivated by a philosopher’s
standpoints, but I did not feel motivated by any of them to serve. I like to do community service
and volunteer because it’s the right thing to do, which could be related to Socrates and his belief
that knowing what is right and good causes one to do what is right and wrong. While I do agree
with Socrates to a certain degree, I don’t believe that knowing what is right and good makes
someone do what is right and good, especially in the world we live in today. Josef Pieper viewed
happiness as in harmony with others and nature, which I do agree with and am motivated by.
Being in nature is one of my favorite things; I respect nature and the plant more than a lot of
people I know. I believe that being in harmony with others leads to a happier life because any
stresses and tensions between people are gone, which allows for a more peaceful being, and I
think happiness relies heavily on peacefulness.
Edith Stein declared that empathy allows us to gain self-knowledge about ourselves and to
correct misperceptions of ourselves and others. I believe that empathy is a necessity, but not one
that everyone possesses. Many people go against their morals or ignore them in favor of doing
whatever will get them the most power and wealth; without empathy, there will be no moral
judgements, no love, no compassion, and no value for human life. I like that Stein focused on
empathy because I can relate that to my serving in that I have enough self-knowledge to
understand that my life is both better and worse than others, but because of that, I want to do
what I can to help improve the world and the lives of all things in it. Utilitarianism sets forth that
an action is right or wrong based on the combined consequences of the action for society as a
whole as believed by John Stuart Mill. This is all to say that the determining factor of right or
wrong is based on the outcome. I do not agree with this because you could do all of the right
things and still have unfortunate consequences, but that doesn’t make what you did any less
right. I am not motivated by Mill because he focuses on the outcome as the determining factor in
whether something is right or not, and not the action itself. However, I can understand Mill’s
viewpoint in that consequences can lead you to improving and bettering your actions, but I also
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think that it can have the opposite effect in that someone can doing something bad and be
rewarded and praised for it, which will just make them keep doing that bad thing.
-Make specific connections between this experience and the FOE text.
There are many connections I could make between my experiential learning experience and the
Firms of Endearment text. The connections that stick out the most to me involve healing,
building on love and care, elegant harmonies, and culture. Healing is the new marketing
paradigm; it is based on a new consciousness and soulfulness. Firms of Endearment are guided
by a leadership style based on a consciousness that works to alleviate problems and suffering and
elevate joy and happiness. Firms of Endearment are built on love and business, something many
people did not think could happen. Building a company on love and caring can be done in ways
like aligning the interests of all stakeholders, operating with an open-door policy, providing great
employee compensation and benefits, and hiring people who are passionate about the company
and its mission. The program I volunteered for was created because of a love for those in need, a
want to care for them, and because they wanted to see a program based on healing.
Firms of Endearment strive toward harmony. The book used the word “concinnity,” which I had
never heard before; it is a blending of things to create harmony. Through this, these companies
eliminate objectifying stakeholders by encouraging collaboration. Volunteering allowed me to
foster a sense of harmony within my self and others, because I was able to combine my feelings
and actions with others to create a sense of harmony. The corporate culture of a company is its
most valuable asset; it creates the energy, passion, dedication, and spirit of every company. A
company’s vision and values are crucial to their culture; they provide insight into the company’s
hopes and reflect their core principles and ethics. In deciding what organization I wanted to work
with, I took their values and vision into consideration because I want to work with organizations
and people that shared my values and morals. The organization I worked with started their
emergency food assistance program to help the community at no cost, which they wanted to do
because it was the right thing to do, not because they were looking to get something out of it.

3. Gaze...(future)
How will you contribute to transform the world with love, peace, and justice as a professional in
your field?
As a professional in my field, I would like to think that I will contribute in many ways. Even if I
am not in a management position, I will always advocate for a living wage, good benefits, paid
time off, and treating all people with respect. A big problem in the professional world is that
many people do not feel as though they are being treated fairly or well, and that they are being
treated as less than human. I want to make sure that everyone is treated well and that everyone is
feeling respected. If I were in a management role, I would make sure that there are consequences
for sexual harassment, homophobic, transphobia, racism, etc. because there is no place for that in
this world; I don’t stand for any of that now, and I speak out about them and call people out
when they engage in that behavior.
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In what ways will you continue to do community service? Consider getting involved with service
through Seton Hill https://www.setonhill.edu/student-life/campus-ministry/service-outreach/
I will continue to do community service within my community and those around me. I plan on
volunteering with the organization again and I’m going to look into other organizations that have
similar programs. I am going to continue doing litter clean-ups, which I do both on my own and
with groups, on my own time and at scheduled times. I think it’s important to help the
environment and all those in it, so volunteering and participating in community service is
something I care about a lot. It is very important to me to work with organizations that share my
morals and values, so there are many organizations that I will not work with. For example, there
are certain organizations that will not serve members of the LGBTQ+ community, so I would not
work with those organizations; I would not give them my time, money, or donations of any kind.
Community service goes beyond the physical community you are in, so another way I will
participate in community service is by donating to organizations that share my morals and
values, even if they don’t necessarily affect me, solely based on my belief that it’s the right thing
to do.