UA Students to Perform Service Projects at Area Schools

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The University of Alabama’s Center for Sustainable Service and Volunteerism is offering the second SERVE Better Together service event from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 25, at Central and Maxwell elementary schools in the Tuscaloosa area.

About 50 UA students in an interfaith group will help with school beautification and enhancement projects. At Central Elementary School, 1510 Dinah Washington Ave., students will help build an outdoor library with benches, bookcases, a stage and a “throne of knowledge.”

At Maxwell Elementary School, 11370 Monticello Drive in Duncanville, students will paint some of the walls to brighten the school’s atmosphere. After the service projects, participating students will go to Manderson Landing to participate in a picnic and to reflect on promoting a spirit of unity on campus.

The center is cosponsoring the event with UA Crossroads’ Better Together interfaith initiative. SERVE Better Together combines service with time for students to dialogue about the best way to overcome perceived obstacles of cultural differences. Funds for the program come from Target Foundation grants awarded for the 2014-2015 academic.  The point that UA is “better together” will be central in these exchanges.  As the UA campus grows more diverse each year, it becomes more important to create opportunities to foster global citizenship and promote cultural understanding, organizers said.

“Last year’s SERVE Better Together event was one of the best experiences I have had at UA serving our community,” said Sarah Bates-Berry, lead office associate for the center. “I met so many great students from all different religious and nonreligious backgrounds whom I would not have had the chance to meet otherwise.”

For more information about SERVE Better Together, contact Courtney Thomas at ccthoms2@sa.ua.edu or phone 205/348-2865 or 713/818-8712. To learn more about the types of grants awarded by Target, visit the website: https://corporate.target.com/corporate-responsibility/grants.