With more than 640 students participating, this year’s Freshman Service Day was the biggest Southern Adventist University has held so far – a result of the incoming class being the third-largest in the school’s 130-year history and the largest since the annual event began.
On Aug. 18, all new students worked together on 33 projects throughout Chattanooga and the surrounding communities. From trail maintenance at Red Clay State Park to preparation for the university’s local food distribution, the mandatory event provided opportunities for campus newcomers to venture into nearby neighborhoods and make a difference.
“Each student is taken out of his or her element to be a part of another organization’s mission,” says Julie Devlin, service learning and community service coordinator. “This can be a real eye-opener for most of them in understanding what’s needed right here in the university’s backyard.”
Devlin served alongside students packing food bags for those in need. Southern’s Christian service director Cheryl Craven joined students at one of three work sites where they helped elderly couples with yard work. She described one couple as “beaming.”
At another site, the husband and wife were moved to tears by the students’ contributions to their lawn and home.
“Freshman Service Day engages students in service within their first month of being on campus,” says Craven. “It aligns their Southern experience with the university’s mission to ‘embody academic and professional excellence and pursue … lives of service.’”
Source: Southern Adventist University