A new student organization, ‘Roo Serve,’ has started this fall semester, specializing in community service opportunities for UMKC students.
Roo Serve’s main mission is to not only serve the community but also serve students by providing them with easier access to service opportunities.
“Most of us think we’re too busy to prioritize community service to a level that we’re willing to go out and organize our own opportunities. So as a leader within RooServe, we’re trying to serve the students by providing them with a network and a family of like-minded people,” said organization founder Brock Johnson.
Johnson, a senior and chemistry major, had originally planned on creating a tutoring program until his wife inspired him to make it into a student service project.
Johnson explains that he was involved in a student service group called ‘Y-Serve’ at Brigham Young University, which he transferred from.
A lot of students at BYU mentored him and showed him the “behind the scenes” of running a student organization, which inspired Johnson’s creation of Roo Serve.
“I saw all of the good that it was doing for those students, and I saw it in my own life, you know, the more prioritized service,” Johnson said.
The club has developed much faster than expected, and Johnson credits the traction to student networking.
“Our very first meeting was a Zoom info meeting, and we had like eight people show up. Then our second meeting, there were like 16 because everyone brought their friends,” he said.
“I think I give strangers less credit than they deserve. There are a lot of good people in the world who want to do something good with their lives, and when presented with an opportunity like Roo Serve, they are more than happy to jump in and provide their ideas, time, and talent.”
Program director Zach Hardee explains how he contributes and decides which local organizations Roo Serve partners with for volunteer opportunities.
“I essentially go through and look at a bunch of organizations that are in the Kansas City area, and then we come up with a list. Then we look at which ones fit us best and eventually get the event on the calendar,” Hardee said.
He explains that it’s been a process of going with the flow, but if there’s a need for adjustment, he’ll fix it.
Sophomore and pharmacy major Chloe Tam is on Roo Serve’s marketing team and helps coordinate service events. She discusses her own experience contributing to the organization.
“Having the opportunity to give back to the community has been nice because I grew up volunteering, and it’s an important value in my life,” she said.
Tam explains that she’s “not an extroverted person,” and before joining the organization, she “didn’t have a lot of friends” who were pursuing a similar major as hers. Most of the council is made up of “mostly pre-professional students,” and for her, it was “nice to have friends who were heading in the same direction as her.”
Students interested can follow the Roo Serve Instagram for service opportunities and updates.
