Students, staff, faculty and alumni all got to work an the 35th annual Step Forward Day on Sept. 7.
The Waves of Flags at Alumni Park was one of many events that the Pepperdine community could serve in throughout the week, according to Christin Shatzer Román, Pepperdine’s director of Community Engagement and Service.
“We had about 600 people signed up for today, and then we are partnering with alumni affairs, and they have almost 300 folks signed up and participating in the Waves of Flags project,” said Román.
Step Forward Day began in 1988 and was founded by two students who believed more could be done to help the Pepperdine and wider Malibu community. The aim was for the annual event to encourage the Pepperdine community to come together and serve, according to its website.
What began as small acts of community has since grown into a multi-event day of service extending outside L.A. County to states across the nation. This year, the Pepperdine community marked the day by serving at 25 projects in the L.A. area, Román said,
“We’ve got about 25 projects that are happening today at various sites in the area,” Román said. “And then we already had two projects that happened yesterday and Thursday of last week. We’ve got about eight projects that are happening in the upcoming week.”
The Waves of Flags display commemorates the 2,977 lives lost on 9/11 and was installed Sept. 7, as part of this year’s well-attended Step Forward Day. Hundreds of students, staff, faculty and alumni, showed up to participate in honoring the lives lost by raising a flag in their memory.
Among the hundreds who chose to spend the Saturday morning in the heat was President Jim Gash. He spoke of the importance of the Waves of Flags event to Pepperdine and its wider mission of service.
“What we’re trying to prepare students to do is to be purpose filled leaders who are servants.” Gash said. “And this part of Step Forward Day of placing the flags is another way that we can serve our community by reminding them of the tragic events that unfolded on 9/11.”
John Jadovitz, a Pepperdine alum and Army Veteran, was on hand helping to raise flags and shared how the event showed the value of people coming together.
“I think we should take away that no matter what people believe in or their views and values, … people can always come together and put aside their differences.” Jadovitz said.
One thing Román sees on Step Forward Day is the joy students get when volunteering. Román said she hopes that that students use this joy to continue serving community.
“One [goal] is that people experience the joy of service,” Román said. “To capture that joy of service, so that we can incorporate it into regular rhythms of life, even in small ways.”
Román said she believes students building community with each other and with the Malibu community is just as vital. Step Forward Day is a tool to begin these relationships and start a student’s journey of service, Román said.
“Other goals are building community [with students] … and to learn about the community and learn from our community partners,” Román said. “Students start the year [o]n this day, but then the invitation is to come back and serve it at their time.”
As a veteran, Jadovitz believes that service is about putting others before yourself no matter who they are or what they believe.
“Service is putting others before yourself and saying, ‘I may or may not know what you believe in or anything about you but I can put your needs before mine right now,'” Jadovitz said.
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Contact George Davis via email: george.davis2@pepperdine.edu
