A Message from Michelle Cook
During the height of the pandemic, there were many things that we missed. There were
big events such as graduations, weddings, celebrations and vacations. There were also
the small things such as meeting friends to hang out, going to the movies, sitting
in a café to relax, and a thousand other human interactions that we so often take
for granted. Amid our solitude, we also had less opportunities to help others. Again,
we missed the small chances to hold a door open for someone, retrieve a dropped item,
grab something off the top shelf, to simply help a stranger. Intentional and larger
community service engagement also suffered as we didn’t leave home and weren’t volunteering
at schools, hospitals and shelters like we were before. But now we are here, back
to some degree of normalcy, even if it is a new normal. We must remember how rewarding
it is when we are helping others.
The recipients of the 2023 President’s Fulfilling the Dream Award remind us of the value and the impact that helping can have. These three individuals represent the multiple ways in which acts of kindness and support can blossom into significant positive outcomes in people’s lives. While their contributions are unique, there is one common thread that connects their work — the drive to help and leave the world a little better than they found it. They each identified a need and decided that they would work to address it. This is true community.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘what are you doing for others?’” I believe this is a question that the University of Georgia community responds to every day. Throughout the university and across our campuses, individuals are constantly identifying needs and stepping up to address them. While many times this can take the form of large initiatives and grand scale efforts, we must not overlook or underestimate the daily opportunities to help; those opportunities that cost nothing but provide substantial dividends.
What does it mean to the UGA community to be back to normal? It means Saturdays between the hedges, brunch in Bolton, late night pizza with friends and weekend movies at Tate. It also means Dawg Day of Service, the UGA Miracle Dance Marathon, community and civic volunteerism and simply being nice to a stranger. So, I challenge us all, as we move through this semester, let’s all take time to remember what we missed, the privilege to help and the small acts of kindness that make our community stronger every day!
Michelle Cook
Senior Vice Provost for Diversity and Inclusion and Strategic University Initiatives
