With help from across the campus community, one Lubbock Christian University student organized and hosted a luncheon celebrating campus custodial staff and their above-and-beyond service throughout the 2020-21 academic year.
“This all started a few months back when I had seen one of our custodians who had received a phone call that her daughter had come down with both pneumonia and COVID-19,” explained Jared Randall, a sophomore Youth and Family Ministry major from Southlake, Texas. “I saw a side that I hadn't realized they were dealing with,” he continued. “They had families and friends that they went home to and risked getting them sick from being around all us students.”
Aside from the usual duties ensuring LCU’s campus remains clean, the COVID-19 pandemic has added numerous additional responsibilities to LCU’s custodial staff’s daily agenda. They have worked long hours throughout the past year to provide additional sanitation and cleaning across campus to ensure safety for the community during in-person classes. This revelation inspired Randall to do something to show his appreciation for LCU’s custodial staff, and the idea of a luncheon in their honor struck a chord.
Hec got to work organizing the event, first working with LCU Student Senate to establish a budget to help cover the cost of the food, which he coordinated with LCU Dining Services. He also worked with LCU’s Marketing Communications department to secure the Baker Conference Center for the event, and the request support from Terri Warren, the Campus Event Coordinator, to help with decorations.
“I then emailed all the student leaders on campus hoping to get people who felt the same as I did,” he added, noting the support from fellow students who agreed to attend the event and show their appreciation for LCU’s custodians.
The lunch went incredibly smoothly. “President McDowell spoke, gave a wonderful message, and thanked the Custodians for their hard work,” Randall shared. “I also personally thanked the custodians for the work that they put in each day for us students."
The other attending students mingled with the custodians, taking the opportunity to talk and get to know the staff whose critical work can often go unnoticed. Finally, the Residence Hall staff and students presented the custodians with flowers.
“They really do the absolute best work on this campus day in and day out,” Randall shared. “With early shifts and long days, it truly warmed my heart to have the opportunity to serve them for a change.”