TWU Holds 9th Annual Day of Service

The Tennessee Wesleyan University students, faculty and staff participated in the annual Day of Service, Thursday, completing service projects throughout the community.

The 9th annual Day of Service is a product of TWU’s ongoing commitment to service learning for the entire TWU family. 306 members of the TWU community joined for the service day, working at 25 different sites, including churches, schools, community improvement centers, other non-profits, and more, fully listed below.

“Day of Service is a longstanding tradition at TWU,” said TWU Director of Student Involvement Ashley Harris. “This year, we celebrated our ninth anniversary of the event. Day of Service allows our students to venture into the community and learn about the citizens of McMinn County and their needs.“

TWU students are invited to serve by each of the site locations and are led by a faculty or staff member who serves as a Site Leader. Service teams worked various projects, including food pantries, cleaning and painting area churches and organizations, visiting elderly care facilities, and more.

“It’s really an honor to serve this community,” said Blake Chastain, a junior peer mentor who helped lead the mobile food pantry site. “It’s a great way to give back, and at the same time gives us the opportunity to connect with other students in a different environment than the classroom. It gets us out of our comfort zone.”

The goal is not just clean-up efforts, providing food, or painting walls, however. These activities are a means to connect the TWU family to the larger McMinn County community, to build relationships and provide opportunities for growth, both for students and community members.

“A day like today is awesome,” said TWU professor Dr. Augustin Bocco, who served as a site leader. “As a teacher here, we have to be role models. One of the things to show the students the way is to be with them and show them the example.”

“Community service has always been something that puts community people at the center. As an educational institution, we don’t just train the mind, but we also have the responsibility and duty to show up in the community and make them know that we are there for them and there to help.”

“I really enjoy the Day of Service because I get to connect with the community,” said freshman and first-time participant Mack Alexander. “I’m from Indiana, so it is nice to serve the community that I’m going to be a part of. Great to have everyone from our class work together and connect individually.”

Day of Service at a Glance
Students: 280
Faculty/Staff: 26
Total Volunteers: 306
Agencies: 25
Hours served: 1,530 hours
Economic impact: $33,904.80

Service Sites
Athens Area Arts Council
Athens Parks & Rec
Athens Place
Athens YMCA
Camp Living Stones
Children’s Advocacy Center
Coordinated Charities
E.G. Fisher Public Library
First Church of God
Helping Hands
Keep McMinn Beautiful
Life Care Center
Love Thy Neighbor Project, Mobile
Love Thy Neighbor Project, On-Campus
McMinn Regional Humane Society
McMinn Senior Center
Morning Pointe
North City Elementary School
Solomon Family Solutions
Tennessee Overhill Heritage Association
TWU
The Better Living Center
The H.O.P.E. Center
Tri County Center
United Way McMinn
Westside Elementary School
Woodward Ave Church of God