Posted by Mary Wimberley on 2011-03-30

 

More than 600 Samford students, faculty and staff will roll up their sleeves to help their greater Birmingham community neighbors Saturday, April 2.

During Samford Gives Back Day, volunteers will tackle tasks such as cleaning, painting, landscaping and organizing at about 33 non-profit agencies. Work sites include food pantries, missions, schools and churches, among others.

According to Stephanie Campbell, community service coordinator in Samford’s Office of Campus Life, the morning event will allow members of the entire Samford family to immerse themselves in a time of concentrated service to the Birmingham community.

“As either permanent or temporary citizens of Birmingham, we have a responsibility to engage ourselves in service to the community,” said Campbell. “This requires sacrifice of time and resources, but ultimately this sacrifice serves to advance our community and the lives of the people within our community.”

A goal of the event, she said, is to encourage students to venture outside the gates, expose them to needs and sufferings, and to help them develop a desire to invest long term in service.

Samford Gives Back is sponsored by the Community Service Council (CSC) and the Samford chapter of Omicron Delta Kappa (ODK) leadership honor society. The student leadership team includes CSC president Kelsey Boone, ODK president Stephen Bailey and ODK service chair Danielle Brown.

Volunteer work teams represent sororities, fraternities, academic units such as the 36 students, faculty and alumni from Samford’s Ida V. Moffett School of Nursing, administrative offices, individuals, and groups of friends who are banding together for the day of service.

The agenda begins at 8 a.m. in Seibert Hall with an informal breakfast and a short devotional. After that, it’s off to work until 1 p.m.

 

 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 6,101 students from 45 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.