Start each day with a grateful heart. We have all heard it, but how many of us can say we actually do it? Starting the first week in October, Lydia Hayes, a student and Resident Assistant at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse was inspired to challenge the students living in Reuter Hall to begin each day with gratitude.
Her inspiration came from a long summer drive in the country. She was listening to one of the only radio stations available and the host announced that it was “Gratituesday”. The audience began to call in and share things in their life they were grateful for. Lydia was inspired by everyone’s responses and she wanted to bring this back to the campus community. She said, “I wanted to create a program that could be impactful for lots of people and get people thinking.”
Starting the first Tuesday in October, Lydia made her plan a reality. She set up a table in the lobby where students could stop by on their way to class. Students had the option to grab coffee, cider or hot chocolate. Each cup that the beverage came in was decorated with a caring message, such as “you are loved and you matter” or “smile, today is beautiful”. Her goal was to make residents realize someone was grateful for them.
The second week, instead of just sharing her gratitude, she wanted to give students a chance to share what they were grateful for. Along with the coffee, cider and hot chocolate, Lydia placed notecards on the table. Students were encouraged to grab a notecard and write something they were grateful for on it. This challenged students to take a minute and appreciate something wonderful in their lives. By the end of the morning a poster was complied with all of the notecards collected. It is still displayed in the lobby to remind students of the many things there are to be grateful for.
By week three Lydia had a new challenge for the students passing through the lobby. She invited them to not only grab something warm to drink, but also take a moment to write a note to someone they were grateful for. She did not want the gratitude to end in the lobby; she wanted to spread it across campus.
The program was designed to be every Tuesday for a month, but by the end of October students were asking for it to continue. They would miss not only the warm beverages, but also the way it challenged them to think.
Due to its popularity and the help of the Reuter Hall Leadership Team, it continued on into November. Libby Paplow, a student and Resident Assistant at the University of Wisconsin La-Crosse took the opportunity to help Lydia continue “Gratituesday”. She handed out coffee, cider and hot chocolate and also challenged students to find a way to be grateful for not only the good days but also the tougher things in their lives.
Thanks to Lydia Hayes and the Leadership Team, Reuter Hall is now starting every Tuesday with a grateful heart.
Her inspiration came from a long summer drive in the country. She was listening to one of the only radio stations available and the host announced that it was “Gratituesday”. The audience began to call in and share things in their life they were grateful for. Lydia was inspired by everyone’s responses and she wanted to bring this back to the campus community. She said, “I wanted to create a program that could be impactful for lots of people and get people thinking.”
Starting the first Tuesday in October, Lydia made her plan a reality. She set up a table in the lobby where students could stop by on their way to class. Students had the option to grab coffee, cider or hot chocolate. Each cup that the beverage came in was decorated with a caring message, such as “you are loved and you matter” or “smile, today is beautiful”. Her goal was to make residents realize someone was grateful for them.
The second week, instead of just sharing her gratitude, she wanted to give students a chance to share what they were grateful for. Along with the coffee, cider and hot chocolate, Lydia placed notecards on the table. Students were encouraged to grab a notecard and write something they were grateful for on it. This challenged students to take a minute and appreciate something wonderful in their lives. By the end of the morning a poster was complied with all of the notecards collected. It is still displayed in the lobby to remind students of the many things there are to be grateful for.
By week three Lydia had a new challenge for the students passing through the lobby. She invited them to not only grab something warm to drink, but also take a moment to write a note to someone they were grateful for. She did not want the gratitude to end in the lobby; she wanted to spread it across campus.
The program was designed to be every Tuesday for a month, but by the end of October students were asking for it to continue. They would miss not only the warm beverages, but also the way it challenged them to think.
Due to its popularity and the help of the Reuter Hall Leadership Team, it continued on into November. Libby Paplow, a student and Resident Assistant at the University of Wisconsin La-Crosse took the opportunity to help Lydia continue “Gratituesday”. She handed out coffee, cider and hot chocolate and also challenged students to find a way to be grateful for not only the good days but also the tougher things in their lives.
Thanks to Lydia Hayes and the Leadership Team, Reuter Hall is now starting every Tuesday with a grateful heart.