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Homecoming Goes Viral

March 22, 2021 - 2 minute read


Ariana (Sadeghipour) Esswein ’17 and Scott Esswein ’15 participated in writing notes of encouragement to their former professors as part of Homecoming and Concordia Serves.

Alumni Homecoming 2021 pivoted from a beloved on-campus event to a temporarily virtual one as alumni gathered online across the globe. Registrants received a special “participation packet" complete with popcorn, games and access to exclusive online content. All alumni were invited to participate in virtual events such as a Meet the President meeting, live-streamed basketball and volleyball games, an estate planning seminar, an all-alumni (online) gathering, and an alumni award ceremony.

One highlight of the celebration this year was the second annual Concordia Serves event, which counted 1,000 participants, nearly all of them on campus.

“Last year we had hundreds of students go out on buses to clean beaches and work with local ministries and nonprofits like Second Harvest and others,” says Rev. Bil Hood, senior director of external relations and special events. “This year we came up with a new solution.”

Amanda Harris ’15

Amanda Harris ’15

On Tuesday, February 9, all classes for undergraduates were canceled and the campus was turned into a serving zone. Around 750 students beautified the campus and packaged various donated items for distribution locally and worldwide. These included rice and beans for the poor, plus “thank you” packages to police and firefighters in Irvine, and hospital workers at St. Joseph’s in Orange.

“There were handwritten notes in each one, gift cards for coffee and hamburger places, devotional books, printed cards with photos and other stuff from the University,” Hood says. “Faculty and staff were a key part and participated right alongside students.”

Shut-ins received Valentine’s Day care packages and phone calls from CUI students to check in on them, make conversation and offer prayer. One 96-year-old woman wrote a handwritten letter in response, saying, “What a pleasant surprise to receive your gift packets. I appreciated the special messages from [these specific CUI students]. They will be in my prayers as they follow their dreams... Thanks also for the special gifts in the packet. All of this has meant so much to me.” She added that at her advanced age she still enjoys reading, puzzles and playing the piano.

Beyond campus, alumni were invited to send notes of encouragement to professors, and to plug in to local serving opportunities right where they were, using a list provided at cui.edu/serves. These opportunities included volunteering at local churches or food banks, running errands for shut-ins, or simply calling loved ones or blessing local nursing homes and hospitals with letters of thanks.

"Concordia Serves was a good fit this year to tie in with homecoming,” says Hood.

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