Forty-seven households in Russellville and Lake Dardanelle State Park benefited from the kindness and commitment to help others demonstrated by Arkansas Tech University students on Saturday, Nov. 6.
Approximately 200 ATU students registered for the 2021 edition of Green and Gold Give Back, an annual day of community service sponsored by the ATU Department of Campus Life.
“It just makes me so happy to see our students want to help the community,” said Kassidy Jones, ATU coordinator of civic and community engagement and student leadership development. “We had a ton of locations to go to this year so I was a little stressed out, but our students showed up and showed out. I’m excited to see what they do for our community.”
Green and Gold Give Back was established in 2013. It has grown to become ATU’s largest annual day of service.
“I like to give back to a community that has given me friends and family,” said Noah Strout, an ATU senior from Mountain Home. “Everyone here is so nice, and I feel like if I give back a little that means a lot.”
Senior Lora Brown of Rogers said the opportunity to participate in Green and Gold Give Back with her friends brings extra meaning to the event.
“We get to go out and help someone in the Russellville community who needs help,” said Brown. “It’s a chance to put a good foot forward for Arkansas Tech and show that we love our school and we love Russellville. I’m from two hours away and I’ve always called Rogers home, but I love Russellville. This is now my home. It’s a really great town and school. I love it.”
Jones said she is building upon existing collaborations and creating new partnerships with non-profit organizations in the Arkansas River Valley in hopes that it provides ATU students with more volunteer opportunities, many of which have been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I’m excited to partner with those organizations because our students need to realize that when they are done with their education there are a lot of things they can do in the community to make it a better place,” said Jones.
Learn more about the ATU Department of Campus Life at www.atu.edu/campuslife.
