On Nov. 5, the Office of University Ministries will host the 11th annual Campus and Community Day: A Day of Remembrance and Service. There are a variety of projects to join, and the deadline for signing up for one is Nov. 4.
The event will begin with chapel at 8:30 a.m. in the G.M. Savage Memorial Chapel.
Classes are canceled so that everyone can be involved.
Last year, members of Union’s community took on more than 70 projects ranging from manual labor to serving meals to spending time with the elderly at a nursing home.
The Day of Remembrance and Service was born out of a desire to reciprocate the service that members of the Union community received from members of the Jackson community in the 2002, 2003 and 2008 tornadoes.
“When Union was first affected by a tornado in 2002, the surrounding community responded quickly to our need,” said Lee Wilson, director of Discipleship.
“Union wanted to do likewise, leaping to help meet the needs of the people of Jackson by way of partnering with local churches, schools and non-profit organizations.”
This event helps to establish a “tradition of service,” said Keely Beasley, director of Discipleship.
Beasley said the projects are wide-ranging enough for anyone to get involved.
Megan Bailey, master of Arts in Intercultural Studies student, is leading a project with Aaron Beasley as part of their humanitarian response class.
They will work with the ComeUnity Café in downtown Jackson to help them prepare for their opening in November.
“Possible work includes, but is not limited to, installing garden beds, planting flowers and pulling weeds,” Bailey said.
Plans for the café include serving the food grown in the garden Bailey’s team will help make.
“Aaron and I thought this would be neat and would have the potential to become a long-standing volunteer opportunity for students from the Union community,” Bailey said.
Campus & Community Day: A Day of Remembrance and Service benefits the Union community as well as the Jackson community.
“Service has a way of transforming our attitudes, clarifying our callings, and providing context to the daily work of our studies,” Wilson said.
“The chance to put our bodies to work and exert ourselves for the good of other people, to develop friendships with strangers, and get outside of our normal routine are all great gifts of Campus & Community Day.”
Serving in and with the Jackson community produces lasting results, Wilson said.
“In serving with them, profoundly meaningful work is being done to make our town a better place to live,” he said.
GET INVOLVED
To sign up for a project, go to http://www.uu.edu/events/dayofremembrance/