Students Today Leaders Forever (STLF) is a national non-profit organization that promotes leadership and service throughout communities nationwide. The registered student organization started its Urbana-Champaign chapter in 2012 and began its service work during the spring 2013 semester.
STLF’s mission remains “to reveal leadership through service, relationship and action,” and the University’s chapter members said they continue to do just that on campus.
Calvin Shirley, junior in DGS and co-founder of the STLF chapter on campus, said the chapter currently has 25 members and is pushing to expand this year.
Shirley said after being very involved with STLF during high school, he and a few friends wanted to bring the organization to the University.
“This year, our effort is going to be a bigger outreach and getting new people involved on campus,” he said.
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Lexi Longsworth, a junior in AHS and a member of STLF, said she joined shortly after hearing about STLF’s spring break service trip, the Pay It Forward Tour. This trip marked the proliferation of STLF’s mission as members traveled to several cities on a nine-day community service trip.
Longsworth said it was great to give back to the communities and to spread happiness throughout the tour.
“We cleaned a men’s homeless shelter, helped at a children’s school for the blind, cleaned a base river in Baltimore and helped organize a warehouse,” she said.
Her most memorable experience, she said, was working at the school for blind children.
“It was so great to see how they react … they were wonderful kids,” Longsworth said.
On the Chapter Core Leadership team for STLF on campus, Longsworth said they want to build and further their chapter at the University. She said they want to do service projects in Urbana-Champaign by sending members to help out in the community and work on building a stronger foundation for their group.
“We plan on sending out another bus for the spring break trip, starting service projects and getting our organization well known on campus,” Longsworth said.
Though their spring break mission trip this year is tentative, STLF plans on travelling to San Antonio, Texas.
Stephanie can be reached at [email protected].
