On April 20, 2024, ETSU held the Dula Day of Service, an initiative first created in 2019 but fell out of execution in recent years.

“SGA was proud to help bring this program back to campus under the leadership of senator Rebekah Moody,” says former SGA president Trent White. “Opportunities to serve like this represent our university’s mission well.”

Dula Day is named in honor of the late Chris Dula, a faculty member who was known for his commitment to serve his community. The event celebrates this commitment by providing students with organized opportunities to volunteer in varying ways across the region.

“For starters, Dula was my uncle,” says event organizer Rebekah Moody, “. . .He was always there whenever we needed him and we adored him because of his loving and lively nature. Chris was someone who taught me many of my virtues and to this day I use him as inspiration for tackling challenges. He mentored me in the sense that he pushed me to follow my passions and do what my heart desires. Having him as an uncle was not only a privilege, but a pivotal part of who I am today.”

Dula Day began at 7 a.m. where students and faculty who registered were distributed into groups and relocated to their volunteer site. These sites consisted of organizations such as Goodwill, Second Harvest Food Bank, Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) and more.

(Contributed/Clemmer College)

“I felt called to reinstate Dula Day for multiple reasons. The biggest one being that I wanted to do something special for my family as we all had a special place in our hearts for Chris. Secondly, I wanted to do something that was going to benefit as many people as I could. I knew that Dula Day had been on hold for a couple of years, so combining those goals led me to look in that direction,” said Moody.

“Reinstating Dula Day had always been something in the back of my mind, but my opportunity finally arose when I joined the Junior Senate Program hosted by the Student Government Association. There, the junior senators were tasked with writing legislation of their own that had the ability to be brought forth and passed through the real SGA senate. That’s where I drafted the Dula Day Resolution along with the help of Raina Desai. Once passed, we got in contact with Joy Fulkerson, Nathan Farnor and Volunteer ETSU to plan the event.”

After serving, the campus community was invited to a celebration in honor of Dula. This portion included a heartfelt sentiment from Moody, as well as live music and catered food.

“I hope that in the future Dula Day can continue on an annual basis. It would be exciting to see what other ideas can be incorporated into this event in the future. All in all, I just hope that the continuation of this event will make a giant impact on the community,” said Moody.

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