Students give back to Tuscaloosa

One hundred dedicated students convened at the UA Student Recreation Center soccer fields on Friday to participate in a day of community service known as Hands On Tuscaloosa. SGA arranged this last major service opportunity of the school year in hopes of initiating long-term service relationships with local non-profit organizations.

“We hoped to reach out to the community and allow students to realize the impact that they can have,” said Hannah Huddleston, project coordinator.

She noted that only 28 of the 100 volunteers are registered for a fraternity or sorority and seemed excited about the diverse participation in this event.

“We have really worked hard these past few weeks to reach people from all corners of campus to give back to the community,” Huddleston said.

Volunteers dispersed around the Tuscaloosa area to locations including:  Holt Elementary School, Tuscaloosa Metro Animal Shelter, T-Town Paws, Morning Pointe Assisted Living, Boy Scouts of America, Caring Days Adult Day Care, YMCA, Temporary Emergency Services, Salvation Army, Phoenix House, United Cerebral Palsy of West Alabama, Black Warrior River cleanup, Boys and Girls Club and more.

“I worked at the Boys and Girls club and it made me want to go back again,” said Allyson Golden, a sophomore majoring in mechanical engineering. “We played kickball and volleyball with the kids, and I had a blast.”

Huddleston was satisfied with the positive feedback from this event and considers it to be a productive venture worth repeating.

“Friday was really fun,” Huddleston said. “A lot of people said that they enjoyed what they did and are looking forward to going back to volunteer in the weeks to come.” She hopes to turn Hands On Tuscaloosa into an annual affair.

The arduous workday ended with discounted pizza at Mellow Mushroom for all of the volunteers.

“I went to the dinner at Mellow Mushroom following the day of community service, and it was a great experience to see everyone fellowshipping after a day of hard work and giving back to the Tuscaloosa community,” SGA Press Secretary Katie Breaseale said.

The original concept for Hands On Tuscaloosa was prompted by a student’s desire for a campus wide community service event through the program “Ideas to Action.”

“The Ideas to Action program within the External Affairs Department of SGA allows students to submit ideas and actually become a part of our team,” Breaseale said.

Other events that have taken place due to student submissions in “Ideas to Action” include the Test Bank Reform, Long Drive Competition and Scholarship Date Auction.