A Firsthand Look into Public Service Night

December 1, 2017

Public Service Night is a weekly tradition at Cate. Students and faculty can volunteer at a number of local non-profits benefitting members of the Carpinteria and Santa Barbara communities.

Every Wednesday night, Cate’s motto, Servons, is put into action as students leave the Mesa to engage in public service opportunities in Carpinteria and Santa Barbara. This week, I was fortunate to spend time with Emily Burns ’18, Maki Kobayashi ’18, Rae Fox ’21, Athena von Bothmer ’21, William Deardorff ’21, Daphne McKeefry ’19, and Yuki Kobayashi ’21 playing Bingo at Shepherd Place Apartments in Carpinteria.

After piling into a Yukon and descending the Mesa, we were welcomed by a warm and enthusiastic Luella, who has lived there for the last 10 years and coordinates Cate’s weekly visits. She came out to greet the group with big hugs, and had popcorn, cookies, and apples waiting for us inside. We got right down to business, choosing our Bingo cards and settling in among the women who were already there. Emily Burns took her role as caller very seriously, and did an excellent job through seven rounds of different versions of Bingo.

Before we left, I asked two of the regulars, Gerry and Blanca, what they enjoy most about playing Bingo with Cate students. Gerry said, “It’s nice getting to know students from all over the world.” And Blanca said, “It’s just fun to see everyone enjoying themselves.” It was clear that the Cate students enjoyed this opportunity to spend time with community members and use their time away from the Mesa to give back. – Margot Dorian