“We all benefitted from the exercise, which helped build a sense of teamwork and camaraderie within the GSE leadership community while doing something charitable for the community at large,” said Michael Taylor, student success counselor and co-coordinator of the event with Veronica Szczygiel, Ph.D., director of online learning. The exercise, held during a regular meeting, was a sandwich-making activity that included all GSE administrators and was based upon a program developed by Rob Parmach, Ph.D., inaugural director of Ignatian mission initiatives in the office of the vice president for mission integration and ministry. Parmach’s job is to help others across the University amplify the core principles of Jesuit education in their work.
Part of this work is the “Mission in Action” food insecurity sandwich-making sessions for local food pantries. Szczygiel and Taylor, who were looking for an engaging and rewarding activity to conduct with the GSE administrative team, initiated the activity following conversations with Parmach. The result was 240 bagged lunches, each containing a PB&J sandwich, a juice pouch, baby carrots, fruit gummies, and a note of affirmation, made in just over an hour and donated to two local food pantries that primarily benefit school aged children.
Szczygiel and Taylor agreed about the positive nature of the experience and “would highly recommend [this activitiy]as a fun and rewarding activity for any other Fordham school or department looking for something to build morale within their teams.”
