The Students Advocating Service organization at The University of Memphis is lending a helping hand to those in need in an effort to increase involvement in the community.
The newly established student organization, in conjunction with the Ronald McDonald House of Memphis, is kicking off a broad-based community service program to encourage, promote and educate The U of M and area residents about the importance of community service and its increasing impact on the community.
“Our one goal is to bring issues to the campus and also bring issue-oriented programs,” said Laura Pevahouse, president of SAS.
Currently, SAS has arranged for a three-day project that will not only help out the Ronald McDonald house, but also encourage kids with an illness to keep their spirits high.
“Lots of students request to work with children, and I think it’s great because it makes people aware,” Pevahouse said.
The Ronald McDonald House, a non-profit organization dedicated to housing the families of sick children that come to Memphis for treatment at local hospitals such as St. Jude and LeBonheur, is the focus of the SAS’s current service project. The house also makes grants to other non-profit organizations whose primary goal is to help children in need.
From Nov. 26 to 28, SAS will participate in a clean-up session, arts and crafts and dinner and games at the McDonald house.
Participants will be meeting at The University Center in room 425 and will carpool to the Ronald McDonald house.
Anyone interested in helping out is encouraged to join. There is a limit of 25 people, but there are still spaces available.
“We see ourselves as being a board that anyone can come to and talk to us about organizing a service project,” said Pevahouse. “If something strikes your interest and you don’t have time to do it, let SAS know and we can arrange some kind of project,”
Monday was the clean-up day. SAS members helped clean up the Ronald McDonald House and Jason Rivera, a student at The U of M was the spokesperson for that day.
Tuesday is designated for arts and crafts. Melissa Maynard will be the spokesperson for that day. It will start at 4:30 p.m. and end at 6:30 p.m.
Wednesday is meal and game day, where kids and SAS members will eat dinner together and participate in activities sponsored by SAS. It will begin at 6:00 p.m. and end at 8:00 p.m. Alvin Bonds will be the spokesperson for that day.
SAS has given each month of the year a theme, with November being “Children’s Health Issues.” SAS organized an event last month where people could drop off cellular phones, to be given to victims of domestic violence, at a football game. They also went to a shelter for battered women and cooked dinner for those living there.
