DECATUR, Ill. – Millikin University’s annual Day of Service events have been a yearly tradition for over three decades as first-year students donate some of their day to work among local charitable organizations around Decatur.
The Day of Service experience received new life two years ago with a new partnership with ADM that was sparked by Millikin alum Brandon Rick ’04, who works as a Transportation Workstream Lead at ADM, during an event at Millikin.
“Two years ago, I was in the State of the University listening to Millikin President Jim Reynolds talk about being a community partner. I think we have struggled to build those relationships with Millikin since I left. Being the community supporter and the Millikin supporter that I am, I started a small steering committee at ADM and connected with my peers,” Rick said. “We wanted a way to build a relationship and collaborate. Over time, the students can see that they might want to stay in Decatur and be employed here. It is a way to focus on the service side of it and keep students here after graduation. That first step was that first week that they are in school, let's get them together with some service partners and teach them about philanthropy, and that gets them off on the right foot.”
On Thursday, more than 400 Millikin students, staff, and ADM employees, many of whom were Millikin alumni, participated in service projects at 16 sites around Decatur, including the Johns Hill Magnet School, Illinois Children’s Museum, Crossing Healthcare, the Northeast Community Fund, the Salvation Army, and the James Millikin Homestead.
The Day of Service is a collaboration between ADM and Millikin that was made possible thanks to a grant from the ADM Cares charitable organization, which sustains and strengthens ADM communities by funding organizations that drive meaningful social, economic, and environmental change.
“We have been doing the Day of Service for over 30 years, but it was a heavy lift for us. Transportation was hard, feeding students was hard, people want swag and t-shirts and having the energy to do it, so ADM Cares has added a different cushion for us,” Millikin Director of Admission Molly Berry said. “The Day of Service is not just about that single day. It is about building a relationship so that they can go and continue to volunteer at that site while they are at Millikin and in this community. It’s about connecting with those ADM volunteers, most of them are Millikin alumni, and it’s building a relationship with those folks and building a partnership.”
More than 30 ADM employees were on hand, lending a hand in the service and supporting Millikin students in learning more about Decatur.
"When I put out the call to service for our ADM employees, I focused on Millikin grads. We have about 275 Millikin grads that are employed at ADM today and I got overwhelming support. You will see groups from Research and Development, people from our back offices, our Commercial teams, and our Transportation teams all coming together," Rick said. "For some, this is the first or second time we are all coming together, and it is a great way to give back to the community and forge those relationships that may not have been there yesterday."
Great Start New Student Welcome Week events continue through Sunday, Aug. 25, and conclude with the Opening Convocation at 7 p.m. in the Kirkland Fine Arts Center. Fall semester classes begin Monday, Aug. 26.
