Oglethorpe University

On February 22, Oglethorpe University students participated in a beautification project at Piedmont Park in Atlanta, as a part of Oglethorpe's civic engagement Service Saturday program. The program is designed to expose students to diverse communities around Atlanta and their service needs. When reflecting on the experience, student volunteer Justin Bennett said, "I was really happy when Erica [a horticulturalist who led the project] said that she really appreciated our work and that we were the best group she has had." The Service Saturday volunteers included the following Oglethorpe students: Victor Navarrete Skylar Buggs Andrea Carlos Natalia (Taly) Torrens-Soto Jazmyne Everett Justin Bennett Kaniya Bates Lillian Coleman

Oglethorpe University's Atlanta Laboratory for Learning hosted a Service Saturday event on Saturday, February 1 at Friends of Disabled Adults and Children (FODAC). FODAC's mission is to provide durable medical equipment, such as wheelchairs and hospital beds, at little or no cost to individuals with disabilities and their families. The following students volunteered at Friends of Disabled Adults and Children by cleaning and sorting medical supplies, equipment, and home health care supplies: Michael Morgan Deedee Boney Gabby Huff-Streiter Syeda Bano Jamie Aiken Andi Kezh Fernanda Stelzer Rodrigues Amber Phillips Eva Barineau Hannah Roberts Olivia El-Ramlawy

To honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Oglethorpe University students and alumni participated in service trips around Atlanta on Monday, January 20 for the university's annual MLK Day of Service. More than 70 students spent their day off from classes volunteering with the following metro Atlanta nonprofits: - Crossroads Hospice, where they made Valentine's Day cards for patients; - Open Hand Atlanta, sorting and boxing food for food insecure Atlanta-area residents; - Books for Africa, packing books for shipment to under-resourced communities in Africa; and - Grant Park Conservancy, participating in outdoor revitalization To recruit volunteers, Oglethorpe's Atlanta Laboratory for Learning (A_LAB) partnered with the Office of Alumni Relations, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Epsilon Iota Psi, Tri Sigma Sorority, and Black Student Caucus. Students who participated in the MLK Day of Service included: NaShea Kendrick (Team Captain) Christina Mitchell (Team Captain) Justin Bennett (Team Captain) Daira Galindo (Team Captain) Vivian Manso Michelle Ike Gabrielle Poe Dzidula Boney Claudine Niyonsenya Emma Sawyer Madison Myers Bella Hanback Kinslee Polk Tess French Enjoli Johnson Rebecca McDonald Fernanda Rodrigues Katie Cole Caitlin Marshall Emily Evans Camille Teague Caroline Phipps Brittney Turner Arielle Andino Emily Scoular Lily Sams Olivia Ramlawy Ashley Dodson Elle Summers Caroline Cook Jordan Karem Makenna Ponder Taly Torrens-Soto Emily Farmer Julianna Brieske Hailee Bugg Maggie Inman Isabella Nangano Princess Christian Sam Katz Melody Weckel Erica Gerez Kaniya Bates Hannah Roberts Victor Navarrete Jose Perez Lopez Dayla Jackson Leondra Freeman Taj Lowe Jaylen Eason Malik Brown Jordan Madison Donny McLean Carlton Sims Kristoff Dixon Courtney Davis Deauntee' McDuffie Gelila Dawit Andi Kezh Gwyneth Wilson Jakeb Sanders Charly Lugo Arroyo Michael Morgan Wade Cook Alima Ba Idara Johnson Jennifer Williams Jennifer Ramirez-Soto Chinaza Olivia Achikasim Amber Phillips Khushboo Patel Reagan Goodwin Yesha Nayee Joshua Stroud

At the start of the academic year, the entire freshman class volunteers at locations across Atlanta for the annual Orientation Day of Service. This year, more than 300 students, plus transfer students, members of Alpha Phi Omega and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., and Achieve Atlanta Scholars, each volunteered at one of 17 local nonprofit organizations. The contributed work is valued at over $25,000 for the day. "We used our time and talents to impact communities in ways that cannot be quantified," said Jessica Winestock, associate director of A_LAB, Civic Engagement at Oglethorpe. "We befriended young children as we handed out food, we laughed with seniors over a game of bingo, and we learned lessons in mechanics as we helped to build wheelchairs." Experiences such as the Orientation Day of Service are not just "feel good" events. Service Learning curricula melds the classroom experience with the rigors of service, instilling sought-after qualities such as teamwork, leadership, empathy, and enthusiasm, as well as concrete foundations for creative and intellectual advancement. Nonprofits visited included: Trees Atlanta, International Rescue Committee, The Drake House, The Wylde Center/Oakhurst Garden, The Wylde Center/Hawk Hollow Garden, Frazer Center, Making A Way Housing, Inc., Hosea Feed the Hungry, AG Rhodes Health and Rehabilitation Center, Friends of Disabled Adults and Children, Books for Africa, Atlanta Community Food Bank, MedShare International, The Latin American Association, Charles R. Drew Charter School, UHOPE CDC, and the Latin American Association.

Eleven students from Campbell High School in Smyrna, Ga. visited campus in March to learn more about life on a college campus. All are members of Campbell's Hermanos Espartanos, a group dedicated to increasing the number of Latinx students who pursue post-secondary education.

Some students exemplify Oglethorpe's creed to "make a difference" before they set foot on campus.