Community Action & Service (CAS) is undoubtedly one of the most chaotic and collaborative student groups within the SPA community. Here’s what the presidents have to say about the group.

Samantha Linn: We decided at the start of the year that we wanted our meetings to feel more conversational than lecture-like. Our goal as leaders of CAS this year is to lead in a more progressive way by empowering everyone to play stronger and visible roles in community building.

Maddie Flom-Staab: We also have a “hands-on” theme this year to emphasize local service from which we actually see our impact on the Twin Cities Metro.

Sheila Sullivan: The event that we think jump-started the excitement of all the other members of CAS was We Day. We spent an entire school day at the Excel Energy Center with thousands of other student volunteers . We listened to motivational speakers who inspired us with their service-related stories.

Flom-Staab: And post-We Day, CAS got right to work!

Linn: Exactly! Just this fall CAS has spent many Saturday mornings serving breakfast at People Serving People in downtown Minneapolis. This is something we plan to continue in the coming months. We also gathered nearly fifty members of the SPA community at 2:30 a.m. on Thanksgiving to pack Thanksgiving dinners for Meals on Wheels.

Sullivan: Recently, CAS hosted an Adopt-a-Family event where advisories purchase holiday gifts for various families in the Twin Cities to help make their holidays a bit brighter.

So given everything they’ve already done, what other fun activities do they have planned?

Flom-Staab: Freshman Jonah Harrison, a new member of CAS, recalled some of the service options that were described at We Day, one of which was to donate money from bake sales.

Linn: As of right now, we would like Jonah to take the lead on starting something we hope will become a tradition in coming years—

Sullivan: That is February Friday Bake Sales! So each Friday in February, CAS will have a bake sale at lunch and the money will go to an organization called We Bake for Change.

Linn: So since we have so much going on, we hope new faces will stop in to check out what we are up to. We love new people and new ideas and, more often than not, we have Oreos!

This piece is part of a series of opinion columns written by Student Interest Groups at SPA.  Opinions expressed are those of the group or writer, and not of The Rubicon staff.  Inquiries should be sent to Thomas Toghramadjian, Columns Editor at [email protected].