One of our Alumni Council members, Kim Shirley (’85), envisioned an event where Wake Foresters everywhere could come together for the common good. That idea became Pro Humanitate Days (or if that’s too much of a mouthful for you, “4Good.”) We’re excited for this event, which brings together Wake Foresters across the country and around the world in the spirit of service June 1 – 4. Kim is excited too, so we asked her to share her thoughts on Pro Humanitate Days with us.


(Alumni Office:) How and why did you think of the idea for Pro Humanitate Days?
(Kim Shirley:) The idea came from a brainstorming session of the Alumni Council executive committee and I loved the idea – other schools have a national service day and I felt like it fit so well with what Wake Forest University is all about.

What does Pro Humanitate mean to you?
That we are accountable for the knowledge, resources, and abilities that God has blessed us with, and that these should be used to give back to our community, our church, and our friends.

What is about Wake Forest that inspires this passion for service for humanity?
Wake Forest’s motto Pro Humanitate resonates with me as it reinforced how I was raised – that education is a privilege and should be more than a diploma on a wall – that we need to take all we learned, at Wake Forest, and all we continue to learn after we graduate, and use this to give back to our communities and to organizations around the world.

What are you most looking forward to about Pro Humanitate Days?
Hearing the stories and seeing the pictures of the events across the country and abroad. I am so excited to think about the whole Wake Forest community coming together for these four days and to see what all of us working together can do for others.

Your children are current Wake Forest students, how are they living the Pro Humanitate motto?
They volunteer at many service opportunities from Hitting the Bricks to Project Pumpkin to service through their fraternity and sorority.

What is your dream for Pro Humanitate Days?
That it would be an annual event that everyone looks forward to, and that more and more cities participate in. That it gives opportunities for all alumni – no matter where they are, or how many alumi are around them, to give back to their community and know that they are joined across the world by other members of the Wake Forest community. I would hope this is an event that brings together area alumni, students, prospective students and parents to all work toward a common goal.

Want to find out more about Pro Humanitate Days and how you can register to participate with your fellow Wake Foresters? (Of course you do!) Find more information here.

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