Dave by the Bell: Spreading the Cheer

Dave walks around Appalachian State's campus asking students what they are doing this holiday season to help someone else.

Transcript

Dave: How’s it going folks it’s me Dave Blanks and I’m back with another Dave by the Bell. On this episode of Dave by the Bell I’m going to be asking App State students, “What is something you’re dong to help others over the holidays?” Hopefully we’ll get some cool answers. Lets talk to some students and find out.

Voice 1: Okay so this holiday season I was the committee chair for the Angel Tree Shining Light Committee here at App State, which gave 120, kids Christmas.

Dave: Cool! Is this the first time you’ve done that?

Voice 1: Yeah. It is.

Dave: Are you going to participate again?

Voice 1: Yeah. It was a really great and it was a really awesome experience.

Voice 2: My mom is actually the chief of police in Fuquay-Varina, NC. On December 17th she partnered up with people at the local Wal-Mart and for two kids, a four year old boy and a five year old girl they each get $100 and we’re going shopping for them.

Voice 3: So this holiday season I’m going to be helping out at my church. We have a local ministry where we help a family each Christmas. We provide Christmas presents for the kids that most of the time would not have a chance to have Christmas.

Voice 4: Over the holidays I plan on spending more time with my grandmother. She’s been in the hospital a lot. I’ll be helping her out by cleaning the house and making sure she’s as comfortable as possible.

Voice 5: Every year my family and I go to the food bank.

Voice 6: I haven’t really thought about that. I guess I’ll take my brother out for dinner. I haven’t seen him in a while. I’ll hang out with him a little bit.

Voice 7: Over the holiday season I will be going to my grandmother’s who I have not seen since last Christmas. I’m very excited to see her. She likes spending time with me and I like spending time with her so it’s going to be a fun time to spend time with each other.

Voice 8: For Christmas I’m going to be donating to the YMCA Angel Fund for Kids.

Dave: What does that do?

Voice 8: You pick a gift off the Christmas tree and you donate it to a kid at the YMCA.

Dave: Cool. Which YMCA?

Voice 8: Kraft YMCA in Raleigh

Voice 9: Hamm

Dave: I put you on the spot. Haha

Voice 9: Yeah…oh my gosh.

Dave: Some people have one like (snaps fingers) “Oh yeah I’m doing that.” Other people are like, “Wait…I should maybe do something.”

Voice 9: I don’t really have anything.

Dave: You got nothing? Well have a good break. Thanks for your time.

Voice 9: Thanks for making me think about that.

Dave: Seriously?

Voice 9: No. It’s good.

Dave: I wouldn’t have thought about it. This gets the wheels turning and you think, “Maybe I should.”

Voice 10: I go to a Quaker church in Greensboro and we are going to the local food pantry to serve a meal.

Voice 11: I’m volunteering at a soup kitchen.

Dave: Cool. Do you do that every year?

Voice 11: My family does it every year.

Dave: That’s an excellent tradition.

Voice 12: Over the holidays my family helps out at a soup kitchen around Christmas time.

Voice 13: Over the holidays I plan on going out and trying to spread joy and smiles and making people happy. Hopefully it’ll work out.

Voice 14: For the holidays one of the things I’ll be doing is working on a project that I have been putting together for the past few months. It’s an app. The purpose of it is to bring students and other people motivational speeches and content to inspire them and light that spark in them to help them chase their dreams. We should be fully running by Christmas time and people will be able to use it for the holiday season and hopefully that’ll spread some cheer and inspiration and get people ready for the New Year.

Dave: What’s the name of your app?

Voice 14: It’s called Pro-Mo.

Dave: Where is it available?

Voice 14: You can download it from the app store. It should be out in about a week and a half.

Dave: That’s crazy that you’re doing that!

Voice 15: All right let me think about it. I don’t know what I’m doing.

Dave: I know. That’s how I felt. “I don’t think I’m doing anything to help other people over the holidays.”

Voice 15: Yeah. “I’m not a good person.” (Laughter)

Dave: But it kind of makes you think…

Voice 15: Maybe I need to do something right?

Dave: Maybe.

Voice 15: Okay. Hmmmm Okay. Over the holiday season I’m going down to Florida to help my sick grandma feel better and just spend some time with her.

Dave: …

Voice 15: She really is sick! I’m not lying.

Dave: I feel like the people that don’t have anything planned are like, “I’m going to visit my grandma.” That has happened I’m like, “Hey what are you doing…” Then they’re like a deer in the headlights then their like, “Oh yeah”

Voice 15: Grandma!

Dave: “You know she’s old you know and I’m going to clean up.”

Voice 16: I plan to volunteer at a local library over the break. It’ll give me something to do.

Voice 17: Over the holidays I am playing my instrument at churches for people to listen to Christmas carols.

Dave: Cool. What do you play?

Voice 17: Trombone.

Dave: Nice. Are you part of a group maybe an ensemble or something?

Voice 17: Yeah I’m part of the marching band here and the jazz ensemble but at home it’s just me and a couple of locals.

Dave: Right on. Well, have y’all been practicing?

Voice 17: Not yet. We will!

Dave: All right well ya got time. Take it easy. Have a good one. Play well.

Voice 17: Thank you.

Voice 18: I have a friend back home that I took care of this summer as a home health aid. She can’t take care of herself so over the holidays I’m going to go take care of her a little bit and make sure that she has a good time over Christmas. She doesn’t have a lot of family.

Dave: I think we got some really good answers on this Dave by the Bell. I hope everyone has a happy and safe holiday break and that if you weren’t planning on volunteering and helping someone else out that maybe you’re planning on doing that now or maybe you at least gave it some consideration. Anyhow I will talk to you folks next time. I’m Dave Blanks and this has been Dave by the Bell.

Thanks to: Jessica, Victoria, Sam, Layson, Reece, Kelly, Nathan, Sydney, Joe, Rachel, John-Henry, Ben, Eli, Libby, Keegan, Wilton, Sara and Caitlin

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Dave by the Bell

Sometimes fun, sometimes serious podcast of impromptu conversations with students and Appalachian State University’s own Dave Blanks.

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About Appalachian State University

As the premier public undergraduate institution in the Southeast, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives as global citizens who understand and engage their responsibilities in creating a sustainable future for all. The Appalachian Experience promotes a spirit of inclusion that brings people together in inspiring ways to acquire and create knowledge, to grow holistically, to act with passion and determination, and to embrace diversity and difference. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Appalachian is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System. Appalachian enrolls nearly 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and graduate majors.