Service Day Brings Out Hundreds of Students

Approximately 300 Arkansas Tech University students fanned out into the surrounding community on Saturday, Nov. 11, to provide volunteer service to area organizations and local citizens as part of Green and Gold Give Back 2017.

The annual day of service connects ATU students with organizations and causes such as Lake Dardanelle State Park, Dardanelle Nursing Home, Boys and Girls Clubs of the Arkansas River Valley and the Russellville Animal Shelter.

“I like to help people, and it’s nice to come into contact with people that you might not have known otherwise,” said Green and Gold Give Back participant Claudia Rice, a senior from Greenbrier who regularly gives of her time to benefit the American Heart Association and the American Cancer Society. “Making connections before you leave college is great, and it’s beneficial to have this type of experience under your belt because it helps you know and understand your community better.”

In addition, students participating in Green and Gold Give Back visit alumni and friends of the university and assist them with such tasks as raking and disposing of leaves.

“It’s about helping people,” said Marcus Majied, a senior from Detroit, Mich., who also volunteers through the ATU Department of Diversity and Inclusion, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the Society of Automotive Engineers. “I’m big on leadership skills, so teaching and giving back to others is something I am interested in. It puts a smile on my face when someone can take advice I give them and apply it to their lives. Every employer wants a leader, or at least someone who can lead a team to a common goal.”

Now in its fifth year, Green and Gold Give Back is administered by the ATU Office of Campus Life through its leadership and service initiatives. During the 2016-17 academic year, Arkansas Tech students performed 13,869 hours of volunteer community service.

Learn more about service initiatives at ATU.

2017 Green & Gold Giveback | 11/11/17